US-based Insilico Medicine has signed a strategic partnership with China’s Qilu Pharmaceutical and its subsidiary Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Center to accelerate the development of therapies for cardiometabolic diseases, according to a Pharmaceutical Technology report.

The agreement, valued at nearly $120m (€102m), will leverage Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform to design and optimise small molecule inhibitors. Qilu Pharmaceutical will handle subsequent development and commercialisation activities. The deal includes milestone payments, single-digit royalties on net sales, and aligns with Insilico’s broader strategy of AI-driven drug discovery.

Insilico’s CEO Alex Zhavoronkov said: “We are pleased to see Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical further deepen their strategic collaboration driven by generative AI. I believe that strategies targeting cardiometabolic diseases have the potential to generate the first drugs to achieve large-scale healthspan extension, and I look forward to AI technology accelerating innovation in the field and maximising potential.”

The collaboration builds on Qilu Pharmaceutical’s 2021 adoption of PandaOmics, which laid the foundation for this partnership. Insilico’s business model combines software solution licensing—already used by 13 multinational pharma companies—with research collaborations that include upfront payments, as previously seen with Sanofi and Fosun Pharma.

In addition to the immediate partnership, Insilico plans pipeline out-licensing deals with Menarini Group and Exelixis, projected to total over $2bn (€1.69bn). The company recently raised $110m (€93m) in a Series E financing round in March 2025 to advance its drug pipeline and AI platform.

By combining Insilico’s generative AI capabilities with Qilu’s development and commercial infrastructure, both companies aim to reduce timelines and increase the probability of success for novel cardiometabolic treatments.

Read the full article on Insilico Medicine’s partnership with Qilu Pharmaceutical to learn how AI is transforming drug development in cardiometabolic therapy pipelines.