Castres – November 09, 2026 -- Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and XtalPi Holdings Limited (2228.HK) have signed a drug discovery agreement that includes an upfront payment, multiple milestone payments and downstream economic participation. Neither company disclosed the financial terms.
XtalPi to design small molecules de novo against undisclosed targets
XtalPi will apply its integrated AI capabilities and robotics platform to design and deliver novel small molecule therapeutics. The research programs cover oncology, potentially dermatology, and rare diseases. The targets were not named.
Pierre Fabre takes on compound selection and clinical and commercial development
Pierre Fabre will contribute expertise in disease biology, discovery, translational research and clinical development to select and advance the most promising compounds. It will also be responsible for subsequent clinical and commercial development.
Both parties are targeting challenging, historically hard-to-drug targets, an area the companies associate with significant unmet medical need. Pierre Fabre calls the agreement a strategic addition to its R&D roadmap that strengthens its drug discovery capabilities. For XtalPi, the deal advances its use of AI and robotics in de novo drug discovery.
Executives tie the deal to AI roadmap and preclinical candidates
Francesco Hofmann, Head of Pharma Research and Development at Pierre Fabre, called the partnership an important milestone and a "critical addition" to the company's R&D Data and AI roadmap and discovery engine. Raymond Zheng, Head of Integrated Drug Discovery at XtalPi, said the aim is to advance promising preclinical candidates for patients with unmet medical needs.