China could approve first fully AI-designed drug next year, Merck executive says
AI and genetics are creating a ‘seismic shift’ in the pharmaceutical business, experts on Asian Financial Forum panel say
Mainland China could become one of the first markets in the world to approve a drug fully designed by artificial intelligence, as advances in AI and human genetics combine to create a “seismic shift” in drug development, according to executives of pharmaceutical giants.
“We will see in 2026 that we move from AI-assisted discovery to fully AI-designed compounds, perhaps entering the pipeline,” said Marc Horn, president of Merck China, at the Asian Financial Forum on Tuesday in Hong Kong. “We already see some very exciting examples in China.”
“At the moment, around 30 per cent of new drug pipelines are coming out of China,” Horn said. “China has huge patient data sets, and the government just announced the ‘AI Plus’ programme for the next couple of years, which should give a pretty good push to this field.”
“We might see a truly AI-designed compound approved in China next year,” he added.