Pierre Fabre and XtalPi Partner on AI-Based Drug Discovery
Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and XtalPi have agreed to collaborate on discovering novel clinical candidates for oncology, potentially dermatology, and rare diseases. XtalPi will use its AI and robotics platform to design small molecule therapeutics against undisclosed targets.
- Pierre Fabre and XtalPi will collaborate on drug discovery programs.
- XtalPi will apply AI and robotics to design small molecule therapeutics.
- The work will focus on oncology, potentially dermatology, and rare diseases.
- Pierre Fabre will select and develop the most promising compounds.
- Financial terms were not disclosed.
AI and robotics to target new compounds
Under the agreement announced on Nov. 9, 2026, XtalPi will use its integrated AI capabilities and robotics platform to de novo design and deliver novel small molecule therapeutics. The companies said the work will cover a number of research programs, with oncology as the main area and potential applications in dermatology and rare diseases.
The targets have not been disclosed. The collaboration will focus on challenging, historically hard-to-drug targets, an area the companies associate with significant unmet medical need and substantial opportunity in innovative drug discovery.
Different roles across discovery and development
Laboratoires Pierre Fabre will contribute expertise in disease biology, discovery, translational research, and clinical development. It will select and advance the most promising compounds and will be responsible for their subsequent clinical and commercial development.
XtalPi's role centers on applying AI and robotics to de novo drug discovery. The companies said their combined capabilities are intended to accelerate the identification of high-quality clinical candidates across multiple research programs in oncology and potentially other therapeutic areas.
For Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, the agreement adds to its research and development roadmap and strengthens its drug discovery capabilities. For XtalPi, the collaboration supports its efforts to apply AI and robotics to de novo drug discovery.
Financial terms remain undisclosed
The agreement includes an upfront payment, multiple milestone payments, and downstream economic participation. The companies did not disclose specific financial terms.
Raymond Zheng, Head of Integrated Drug Discovery at XtalPi, said the partnership combines XtalPi's AI and robotics capabilities with Laboratoires Pierre Fabre's therapeutic development expertise. He said the companies aim to advance promising preclinical candidates to benefit patients with unmet medical needs.
Francesco Hofmann, Head of Pharma Research and Development at Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, said using XtalPi's AI expertise to accelerate the delivery of high-quality clinical candidates is a critical addition to the company's R&D Data and AI roadmap and discovery engine.
For users and the wider drug market, the announcement signals a collaboration at the research stage. The source does not disclose specific drug candidates, targets, financial amounts, or clinical results, so the agreement's potential impact will depend on whether the research programs produce compounds that Laboratoires Pierre Fabre can advance into clinical development.
