AI-driven collaboration includes an exclusive worldwide license for a portfolio of programs spanning multiple therapeutic areas.

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico", HKEX: 3696), a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automation,  announced a drug discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly") that uses Insilico's AI engine to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapeutics across multiple therapeutic areas.

The agreement grants Lilly an exclusive worldwide license for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of potentially best-in-class, novel oral therapeutics in preclinical development for certain indications. In addition, Insilico and Lilly will collaborate on multiple R&D programs focused on targets selected by Lilly, by combining Insilico's state-of-the-art Pharma.AI platforms with Lilly's development capabilities and deep disease-area expertise.

"From its inception, Insilico Medicine has been developing deep learning for end-to-end drug discovery. By deploying frontier AI technologies that scale from biomarkers to life models, world models of human and animal life, we can identify multi-purpose targets driving multiple diseases at the same time," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of 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."

Under the terms of the agreement, Insilico is eligible to receive an $115 million upfront payment, followed by development, regulatory, and commercial milestones that could bring the total deal value to approximately $2.75 billion, plus tiered royalties on future sales.

"Insilico's AI-enabled discovery capabilities represent a powerful complement to Lilly's deep expertise in clinical development across multiple therapeutic areas," said Andrew Adams, Group Vice President of Molecule Discovery at Lilly. "This collaboration allows us to explore novel mechanisms and accelerate the identification of promising therapeutic candidates across multiple disease areas."