Amgen Seeks Korean Partners for AI-Driven Drug Discovery

Amgen, a leading biotechnology company, is seeking partnerships in Korea for its artificial intelligence (AI) driven drug discovery and development. According to Helen Kim, executive vice president of business development at Amgen, the company is looking for potential partners who can demonstrate strategic alignment, scientific differentiation, and problem-solving capabilities.

Amgen has already brought its open innovation program, Amgen Golden Ticket, to Korea in 2024, with the goal of nurturing biotech firms. The company has also signed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) licensing agreement with LigaChem Biosciences in 2022 and has pursued various forms of collaboration with Korean companies.

The area where Amgen is most actively seeking partnerships in Korea is AI-driven drug development, which it believes can improve the efficiency of drug discovery and development, shorten timelines, and identify therapeutic opportunities that were previously difficult to find. Kim emphasized the importance of using AI technology to answer scientific questions and ultimately develop better medicines for patients.

Another area where Amgen is focusing on potential collaboration is obesity treatments. Although the company is a latecomer in this market compared to Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, it has said it will target niche segments with differentiated drugs.