Korean Drugmakers Seek to Move Beyond AI Discovery Phase (Image courtesy of Getty Image Bank/CCL)
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are preparing to deepen their use of artificial intelligence, seeking to extend its role beyond early-stage drug discovery and into the full life cycle of medicine development.
While AI has become a familiar tool in the domestic industry, its application remains largely confined to identifying potential drug candidates — a critical but limited phase in a process that stretches from preclinical testing and clinical trials to regulatory approval and manufacturing.
Companies such as Daewoong Pharmaceutical and JW Pharmaceutical have built proprietary AI platforms to accelerate the search for new compounds. Major biotech firms including Celltrion, Samsung Epis Holdings and SK Biopharmaceuticals have also pledged to use AI to speed up development timelines.
But industry observers say that to compete globally, Korean firms must expand AI’s reach. International pharmaceutical giants are already deploying AI across the entire development chain. AstraZeneca uses AI platforms to optimize clinical trials for immuno-oncology drugs, predicting patient responses and refining dosage strategies.
Novartis collaborates with Microsoft to apply AI from clinical design through trial management. Roche employs digital pathology systems to analyze tissue samples and identify patients most likely to benefit from experimental therapies.
Companies such as Daewoong Pharmaceutical and JW Pharmaceutical have built proprietary AI platforms to accelerate the search for new compounds.
Pfizer has integrated AI into manufacturing and quality control, crediting the technology with helping to shorten the development of its Covid-19 vaccine to roughly 10 months.
Big Tech partnerships are increasingly central to that strategy. Eli Lilly has announced plans to invest up to $1 billion with Nvidia over five years to establish an AI drug discovery institute built on Nvidia’s BioNeMo generative platform.
Novartis is working with Isomorphic Labs, a Google spinout, to develop small-molecule medicines. Pfizer has turned to Amazon Web Services to power its AI-driven research platform.
For South Korea, however, the transition will require more than corporate ambition. Industry experts point to limited access to structured medical data, privacy restrictions and ethical concerns surrounding AI algorithms as significant hurdles.
This undated file photo provided by Celltrion Inc. shows one of its three plants in Songdo, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
“Global big pharma already sees AI as a game changer,” one industry official said, referring to discussions at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. “This year should be a turning point for Korea to seriously consider how to integrate AI throughout the drug development process.”
Whether domestic firms can make that leap may determine not only their competitiveness but also their ability to carve out a meaningful place in the next era of pharmaceutical innovation.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
