Clinical trials of the first medicines created entirely by artificial intelligence have begun in China.
Hong Kong-based biotechnology startup Insilico Medicine has developed INS018_055 for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It is a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs. Every year, about 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with ILF. If left untreated, it can lead to death within two to five years.
The development of the new drug began in 2020. According to the developers, INS018_055 is the first AI-generated drug to reach the second phase of human clinical trials.
The ongoing INS018_055 study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial being conducted over 12 weeks in China. The company plans to expand the test population to 60 people at 40 sites in the US and China.
If the current Phase II study is successful, it will move on to another study with a larger cohort, and then potentially reach Phase III with hundreds of participants.
The results are expected next year.
The company has two other drugs partially created by AI that are being tested. One of them is a drug against Covid-19, and the other is for cancer treatment.
