The domestic pharmaceutical companies need a public artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure to develop new drugs, according to a report published Tuesday by Korea Pharmaceuticals and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA).

The report said that the domestic pharmaceutical industry is considered a second runner in developing new drugs. “With the help of AI, however, the industry can overcome the disadvantage,” it added.

Pharmaceutical companies also expect that AI will lower clinical trial costs and identify potential new drug candidates. Although it is impossible to exclude the experiment itself, the companies believe that it will shorten the process of testing and proving existing cases.

“We need to address the present state of the global development of new drugs using AI and introduce the technology to domestic pharmaceutical companies,” said Pae Young-woo 배영우, CEO of iMediSyn 아이메디신, and KPBMA’s 한국제약바이오협회 specialist for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “Korea needs to build a new drug development AI platform centered on massive public data.”

The government and the private pharmaceutical companies have to invest and operate the program jointly, Pae added.

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