InSilico wants to be the first company to create a God Drug

Artificial Intelligence (AI) drug discovery firm InSilico has been developing treatments for cancer, Parkinson’s and pulmonary fibrosis, and many years ago became the first company to ever use AI to design 30,000 new drugs in 21 days. And now, next up: - a “God-like” longevity drug that extends your lifespan.

“My job is to make you live much, much longer,” Chief Executive Alex Zhavoronkov said.

The Hong Kong-listed pharma company, the first to use generative AI to develop a drug that reached clinical trials, is betting longevity treatments will fuel its next phase of growth.

“We are creating the Olympus of drugs,” said Zhavoronkov.

The Latvian-born scientist, who founded InSilico in the US, believes his company is able to develop treatments that can let humans live to be 150.

It is a lofty goal. To get there, Zhavoronkov aims to make InSilico a force in China’s cutthroat pharma industry, and make his business profitable.

InSilico has struck several major deals recently, including one with Eli Lilly worth up to $2.75 billion, but has yet to turn a profit. Zhavoronkov is confident profitability is close and expects to hit the milestone within the next three years.

The upfront Lilly payment alone is expected to double InSilico’s revenue this year and the CEO said more major deals are in the pipeline.

Earlier this week, it announced a partnership with Korean drugmaker SK Biopharmaceuticals valued at up to $2.5 billion.

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Noting that InSilico has a cash runway of five to six years, Zhavoronkov said he has no urgency to fundraise for now.

For the CEO, a self-confessed workaholic, the key to InSilico’s success lies in China.

InSilico’s base may be in Boston, but it has a major presence in China, which has become a powerhouse in biopharmaceutical innovation.

As Chinese companies’ advances in drug development create local powerhouses and draw more foreign firms to the country, Zhavoronkov says it is imperative to establish a foothold there.

“All of our competitors are [in China] now. If we don’t push hard, we are going to be [beaten],” he said.

The Chinese biotech industry’s ascent has spurred a spate of deals with foreign heavyweights, including one between U.S. pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb and Hengrui Pharmaceuticals that could be worth over $15 billion.

“Chinese pharma [companies] have done well to bridge the gap in certain niche fields,” said Morningstar analyst Kai Wang, and “have a lot more innovative drugs in their pipeline these days.”

While big pharma companies elsewhere take about four and a half years to move from identifying a novel drug target to preclinical trials, Chinese firms take roughly two and a half years, Zhavoronkov said.

“In some areas [the West] cannot compete anymore,” the CEO said.

Against that backdrop, InSilico’s plan is to double down on a “China for China” strategy.

Using AI to compress drug discovery from years to as little as nine months, it is developing products catering to the local market but that are more novel than what homegrown firms can offer. By gaining a first-mover advantage, InSilico believes it can beat local rivals to the punch.

“The best way to compete with China is to compete in China. Otherwise, you’re going to lose the biggest market that the world will ever see,” Zhavoronkov said.

The strategy seems to be working. InSilico received investigational new drug approvals or clearances in China for 13 drug candidates, 10 of which are in clinical trials. Five are co-developed with or licensed out to local partners.

InSilico’s proprietary AI platform is its biggest revenue generator, but betting on AI broadly isn’t a sure thing.

Despite his conviction in AI drug discovery, Zhavoronkov thinks the AI sector is headed for a correction as investors question lofty valuations of companies with little revenue, low productivity and few tangible assets.

“There is clearly a huge bubble. [When it bursts] it could be bigger than 2008,” he said, referring to the US property market crash that triggered a global financial crisis.

“People who are neither drug hunters or AI specialists suddenly want to be valued at several billion dollars with tiny revenue,” Zhavoronkov said. “It is like a Formula One team made out of people who are horse farmers.”

InSilico won’t be immune to a sector wide downturn, but it will survive, he said. “We’re ready for battle. For very long-term survival.”

First published on Fanatical Futurist on 24 June 2026.

311 Intelligence

What this means

Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit

The big shift is AI drug discovery moving from proof of concept to a business, with longevity as the prize. InSilico says AI lets it compress drug discovery to as little as nine months, and it now wants a drug that lets humans live to 150. Our Starburst data adds perspective: Generative Artificial Intelligence already reached wide use in 2025, but we track Anti-Ageing Drugs as a Watch technology. We expect a first product in 2032 and wide use by 2048.

What it means by sector.

• Pharma: Chinese firms move from a novel drug target to preclinical trials in about two and a half years, against four and a half elsewhere. We rate Chinese Biotech Licensing Boom an Act now trend that already reached wide use in 2025, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Hengrui deal shows why.
• Healthcare: InSilico has 10 drug candidates in clinical trials in China. We track Clinical Trials Shift to Asia as an Act now trend, and Late Stage AI Drugs as an Explore trend with wide use by 2031.
• Investors: Zhavoronkov warns of a huge AI bubble that could be bigger than 2008, and says firms with tiny revenue want multi-billion valuations.

What to do now.

• If you are in pharma, map which AI and China-based drug developers could speed up your pipeline, as Lilly and SK Biopharmaceuticals have done with InSilico.
• Treat longevity claims as long-term bets: track trial results, not headlines.
• Test AI drug discovery partners on revenue, pipeline and cash runway, not valuation alone.

The Starburst technologies behind this story

From the 311 Technology Starburst (first product, expected wide use and readiness):

Technology	Category	First product	Wide use	Action	TRL
Generative Artificial Intelligence	Intelligence	2021	2025	Act now	9
Anti-Ageing Drugs	Biotech	2032	2048	Watch	5

And the trends they feed, from the 311 Trends Starburst:

Trend	Wide use	Action
Chinese Biotech Licensing Boom	2025	Act now
Clinical Trials Shift to Asia	2027	Act now
Late Stage AI Drugs	2031	Explore

How this moves the trend

AI drug design has been building for years. By 2022 biotech labs were using generative AI to create new drugs. In 2023 longevity clinics were popping up in the US, and an AI discovered three new anti-ageing senolytic compounds. InSilico now wants to join the two: AI drug discovery aimed squarely at longevity.

Go deeper with 311

• The 311 Starburst Centre: every technology and trend above, with timelines and readiness.
• 311 Vantage: ask what AI drug discovery means for your organisation and get a plain English executive brief.
• The Exponential Technology Codex and the Annual Trends Codex: the technologies and trends reshaping every industry.
• Book a briefing or keynote on the future of healthcare and longevity for your board or leadership team.