Eli Lilly expanded its AI drug discovery strategy through a multibillion-dollar deal with Insilico Medicine. The company will pay $115 million upfront, with up to $2.75 billion in milestone payments tied to development, regulatory, and commercial outcomes, plus tiered royalties. The agreement covers preclinical AI-discovered oral therapeutics across multiple therapeutic areas, with Insilico also reporting a broader portfolio of experimental medicines. For Lilly, it is another attempt to keep its pipeline options replenished as blockbuster exclusivity declines. For the AI-biotech ecosystem, the deal reinforces that pharma is increasingly funding model-driven assets beyond early discovery, pushing into later preclinical stages where biologic and translational execution becomes the key differentiator.