Insilico Medicine has entered into a strategic drug discovery collaboration with China compatriot Qilu Pharmaceutical and its subsidiary Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Centre. The partnership will leverage Insilico's proprietary Pharma.AI platform to discover and optimise novel small-molecule inhibitors for cardiovascular (CVD) and metabolic diseases. Qilu will be responsible for subsequent development and commercialisation activities. The total potential value of the agreement exceeds HKD 931 million (USD 119 million), comprising development and sales milestone payments and single-digit royalties on net sales.

This collaboration deepens an existing relationship, following Qilu's 2021 licensing of Insilico's PandaOmics platform. Insilico's business model combines internal pipeline development with platform licensing and external collaborations; it has previously secured partnerships with 13 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies and multi-billion-dollar out-licensing deals. The company's AI-driven approach has demonstrated efficiency gains, reducing the average time from project initiation to preclinical candidate nomination to between 12 and 18 months.

According to PharmCube's NextBiopharm® database, Insilico has inked 38 partnerships as transferor so far, with reported valuations totalling USD 3.5 billion. Click here to request a free trial for NextBiopharm®.