First drug developed by generative AI administered to patients

WASHINGTON, US - The first dose of a drug developed by artificial intelligence (AI) has been delivered to its first patient.

Insilico Medicine, a biotechnology company based in Hong Kong, announced that human patients have begun receiving the drug INS018_055, an anti-fibrotic small molecule inhibitor.

The company said the drug was discovered and designed with generative AI, reported United Press International (UPI).

The drug has passed through two phases of trials before being administered to human patients.

"With demonstrated potential against both fibrosis and inflammation, INS018_055 could offer another option for patients worldwide," Feng Ren, co-CEO and chief scientific officer of Insilico Medicine said in a statement.

Anti-fibrotic drugs are used to prevent the formation of abnormal amounts of fibrous tissue that may grow in organs.

INS018_055 is being tested to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic scarring lung disease. About 5 million people are affected by the disease.

It was designed by Pharma.AI. It has been developed since 2020.

The drug is being studied under a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. It is being administered orally to patients for a 12-week period.

The company intends to recruit 60 subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to test the drug across 40 sites in the United States and China. - BERNAMA-UPI