Fangda Partners and Ropes & Gray have assisted on US-headquartered Insilico Medicine and South Korean giant SK Biopharmaceuticals’ AI-driven drug discovery collaboration for neuro-immunological diseases in a deal potentially valued at more than USD2.5 billion.
SK Biopharmaceuticals, an affiliate of the SK Group alongside memory chip giant SK Hynix, focuses on the research, development and commercialisation of innovative therapies for central nervous system disorders and other conditions.
Fangda provided comprehensive legal services to Insilico Medicine, with the transaction team including partners Henry He, Josh Shin and Bella Wang.
Ropes & Gray counselled SK Biopharmaceuticals, with a team comprising IP transactions partner David McIntosh and counsel Joshua Talicska.
Under the agreement, Insilico Medicine will be eligible to receive up to USD18 million in upfront and near‑term milestone payments. The potential total deal value of more than USD2.5 billion includes development, regulatory and commercialisation milestone payments, as well as tiered single‑digit royalties on net sales following product commercialisation.
The collaboration would combine Pharma.AI, Insilico Medicine’s proprietary drug discovery and development platform, together with its preclinical research capabilities, with SK Biopharmaceuticals’ R&D and clinical expertise in neuroimmunology, a press release said. The partnership aims to accelerate drug discovery and advance next‑generation therapies.
