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SK Biopharmaceuticals corporate identity (CI). / Courtesy of SK Biopharmaceuticals

SK Biopharmaceuticals is stepping into central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery in partnership with Insilico Medicine, an AI-driven drug development company. Under the deal valued at up to approximately $4 billion, SK Biopharmaceuticals secures exclusive ownership and global commercialization rights for the newly discovered drug candidates.

SK Biopharmaceuticals announced on June 22 at the 2026 BIO International Convention in the United States that it has signed a joint research agreement with Insilico Medicine to develop treatments for CNS diseases. The collaboration aims to discover innovative drug candidates in the neuroimmune sector, where significant unmet medical needs exist. Leveraging its established CNS expertise built through its epilepsy treatment, Cenobamate, the company plans to expand its portfolio into new therapeutic areas.

This agreement marks the first practical execution of AI-driven drug discovery (AIDD) spearheaded by SK Biopharmaceuticals’ Open Innovation Center (OIC). SK Biopharmaceuticals will lead the entire research process, from target selection to candidate verification. By utilizing Insilico’s AI platform, Chemistry42—part of Pharma.AI—during the initial discovery and preclinical phases, the company expects to cut the time required for candidate derivation by 50%.

The financial structure of the contract is also noteworthy. The total deal value reaches up to $2.57 billion, with an upfront payment of $4.5 million. SK Biopharmaceuticals will take full charge of clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization following the initial research phase, while also securing the ownership rights and global commercial rights for any drug candidates generated from the joint research.

The partnership is expected to serve as a cornerstone for internalizing SK Biopharmaceuticals' own AI capabilities. Molecular design data, AI prediction validation data, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) learning data generated during the collaboration will be accumulated within SK Biopharmaceuticals. The strategy is to rapidly identify drug candidates in the short term, while enhancing its in-house AI and digital transformation-based drug design capabilities over the medium to long term.

"We are delighted to announce this collaboration at a major global biotech event, which demonstrates the powerful impact of cross-industry communication and collaboration in accelerating healthcare innovation," said Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of Insilico Medicine. "Central nervous system disorders have been a core focus area for Insilico since our founding, and I am confident that our AI-accelerated processes, combined with SK Biopharmaceuticals' global capabilities, will forge innovative breakthroughs."

Dong-hoon Lee, President and CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals, stated, "This model, which synergizes Insilico's AI platform technology with SK Biopharmaceuticals' clinical and commercial infrastructure in the US, is not confined to a specific asset. We intend to evolve it into a scalable growth platform that can be repeatedly applied to future target discovery processes."

                                                                                                         Kang Hye-won