Insilico Medicine Enters $120 Million Drug Development Collaboration with Qilu Pharmaceuticals to Advance Cardiometabolic Therapies
Key Takeaways
- Insilico and Qilu collaborate to develop cardiometabolic disease inhibitors, combining AI-driven drug discovery with development and commercialization expertise.
- The partnership, valued at up to $120 million, signifies a shift from technology access to joint AI-supported discovery efforts.
The collaboration with Qilu extends Insilico’s application of generative AI into cardiometabolic disease drug discovery, with both companies aiming to advance candidates from early design through development under a shared strategic framework.
Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical Group announced a strategic collaboration to jointly develop small-molecule inhibitors for cardiometabolic diseases, combining Insilico’s generative AI–driven drug discovery platform with Qilu’s development and commercialization capabilities.
The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the two companies, as Qilu began using Insilico’s PandaOmics platform in 2021, an engagement that has now expanded into a broader collaboration focused on therapeutic development.1 According to the companies, the agreement reflects a shift from technology access toward joint discovery efforts supported by artificial intelligence.
“We are pleased to see Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical further deepen their strategic collaboration driven by generative AI,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer and chief business officer of Insilico Medicine. “Recently, Insilico Medicine unveiled its proprietary cardiometabolic portfolio at the BIO-Europe conference, covering eight drug candidates ranging from hit to IND-enabling stage, all driven by Pharma.AI in their development process.”
The partnership comes on the heels of Insilico’s ISM8969, an orally available NLRP3 inhibitor targeting inflammation and neurodegenerative disorders, receiving investigational new drug clearance from FDA for the intended treatment of Parkinson's Disease.2
Beyond drug discovery collaborations, Insilico has pursued a diversified business model that includes software licensing and pipeline out-licensing. The company has entered software licensing agreements with 13 of the world’s top 20 multinational pharmaceutical companies, established research collaborations with upfront payments with partners including Fosun Pharma and Sanofi, and completed pipeline out-licensing deals with Exelixis and the Menarini Group, with disclosed total transaction values exceeding $2 billion.1
What is Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform?
Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform integrates capabilities across biology, chemistry, and medicine development, and has been used to advance a growing internal and partnered pipeline.1 Since 2021, the company has nominated 22 developmental or preclinical candidates within a portfolio of more than 30 assets. Its most advanced candidate, rentosertib, has reported positive Phase IIa clinical results, which the company describes as clinical proof-of-concept for AI-driven drug development.3
What are the details of the collaboration?
Per the terms of the agreement, Insilico is expected to apply its Pharma.AI platform to design and optimize novel small molecules directed at selected cardiometabolic targets, while Qilu Pharmaceutical Group and its subsidiary, Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Center, will be responsible for downstream development and commercialization activities.1
The collaboration carries a total potential value upwards of $120 million, including development and commercialization milestone payments, along with single-digit royalties on net sales.1
“As a leading pharmaceutical company in China, Qilu has always attached great importance to the quick advancement of AI technology, in particular, the application of AI in drug R&D and its potential,” said Weikang Tao, Ph.D., board member, group vice president and head of global R&D at Qilu Pharmaceutical Group. “This collaboration marks a deepening of our partnership, evolving from initial software licensing to in-depth R&D collaboration. We look forward to the smooth progress of this innovative drug discovery and development project through the synergy of Qilu’s extensive R&D experience and capabilities and Insilico’s advanced AI platform and expertise.”
Sources
- Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical Reach Near $120 Million Drug Development Collaboration to Accelerate Novel Cardiometabolic Therapies. Insilico Medicine. Janurary 27, 2026.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insilico-medicine-and-qilu-pharmaceutical-reach-near-120-million-drug-development-collaboration-to-accelerate-novel-cardiometabolic-therapies-302671276.html - Insilico Medicine Receives IND Approval from FDA for ISM8969, an AI-empowered Potential Best-in-class NLRP3 Inhibitor. Insilico Medicine. Janurary 23, 2026.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insilico-medicine-receives-ind-approval-from-fda-for-ism8969-an-ai-empowered-potential-best-in-class-nlrp3-inhibitor-302668158.html - Insilico Medicine Announces Nature Medicine Publication of Phase IIa Results Evaluating Rentosertib, the Novel TNIK Inhibitor for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Discovered and Designed with a Pioneering AI Approach. Insilico Medicine. June 3, 2025.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insilico-medicine-announces-nature-medicine-publication-of-phase-iia-results-evaluating-rentosertib-the-novel-tnik-inhibitor-for-idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-ipf-discovered-and-designed-with-a-pioneering-ai-approach-302472070.html
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