Eli Lilly is leading the charge in a high-stakes expansion of generative AI by joining forces with clinical-stage biotech Insilico Medicine. The deal, which could reach a total value of $2.75bn, marks one of the largest generative AI-driven partnerships in the pharmaceutical industry to date.
Under the agreement, Insilico, will receive an upfront payment of $115m with a long-term plan of additional funding to reach development, regulatory and commercial milestones, bringing the deal value up to the publicised total.
Accelerating discovery timelines
The collaboration aims to solve one of the most persistent bottlenecks in the pharmaceutical industry, the decade-long timeline from target identification to clinical trials. Insilico’s AI engine uses deep learning to identify multi-purpose targets and design molecular structures with high precision, accelerating this process.
The partnership will aim to supercharge Lilly’s pharmaceutical pipeline, specifically its portfolio of novel oral therapeutics currently in preclinical development. Furthermore, the two companies will collaborate on multiple R&D programmes focused on targets selected by Lilly, combining Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform with Lilly’s clinical expertise.
“From its inception, Insilico Medicine has been developing deep learning for end-to-end drug discovery,” said Prof Alex Zhavoronkov, Founder and CEO, Insilico Medicine. “Working with Lilly, we aim to deliver transformative therapies that treat diseases with high unmet need. This collaboration is a testament to the power of AI in tackling the most complex challenges in human health.”
Wider industry trend
Like many others in the pharma industry, this deal aims to futureproof the company’s R&D operations and acknowledges the fact that AI is here to stay. Lilly will likely look to embed the technology across its research pipeline to maintain its competitive edge in key therapeutic areas such as oncology and metabolic disease.
“Insilico’s AI-enabled discovery capabilities represent a powerful complement to Lilly’s deep expertise in clinical development,” said Andrew Adams, Group Vice President of Molecule Discovery, Eli Lilly. “This collaboration allows us to explore novel mechanisms and accelerate the identification of promising therapeutic candidates across multiple disease areas.”
