China approves first AI-developed COVID-19 drug

China's National Medical Products Administration has granted conditional approval for Mprosevir (iscartrelvir hydrochloride), the country's first drug developed with artificial intelligence support. The medication is intended to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 infections in adults.

Developed through a collaboration between Westlake University, Westlake Laboratory, and Westlake Pharmaceuticals, the drug is classified as a Class 1 medication. This designation is reserved for compounds with new chemical structures and original mechanisms of action that have not been previously marketed.

The development process utilized a combination of AI and DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology to screen a library of 49 billion compounds. This approach allowed researchers to narrow down over 100 candidates to nine molecules in just a few days. The entire process, from candidate identification to the completion of clinical trials, took approximately three and a half years.