Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY), a stalwart of the US pharmaceutical industry, has inked three strategic agreements with California-based Insitro, a company at the forefront of machine-learning driven drug development. This collaboration aims to forge ahead with new therapies for metabolic diseases, with a particular focus on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
The financial details of the agreements were not disclosed, including any upfront payments. However, it has been noted that Lilly is poised to receive milestone payments and royalties across the agreements. What sets these agreements apart from other AI-driven drug development deals is the unique flow of assets. Insitro will have the option to in-license a clinical-stage ternary N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) delivery method from Lilly, as per the first two agreements. This method will be employed to enhance the efficacy of two of Insitro’s investigational siRNA therapies, each targeting a specific liver-related metabolic disease.
The third contract outlines a collaborative effort between Lilly and Insitro to discover and develop an antibody therapy aimed at a novel target for another metabolic disease. The partnership will persist through the preclinical stage and continue until candidate nomination. Post this phase, Insitro is expected to take the lead on clinical development and commercialization strategies.- Flcube.com
