Mankind Pharma has announced a strategic collaboration with Denovo Sciences to launch an AI-led drug discovery programme, marking an important step in the company’s focus on innovation-driven and technology-enabled research and development.
The partnership will bring together Mankind Pharma’s strong R&D capabilities, experimental validation infrastructure, and clinical development expertise with Denovo Sciences’ proprietary platform for AI-driven molecular generation and prioritization. Together, both organisations will work under a human-in-the-loop model, where AI generates and evaluates molecular candidates while scientific experts guide, validate, and refine the results at every stage.
The collaboration is focused on three key goals: reducing early drug discovery timelines, improving the quality of lead candidates, and ensuring that only candidates with the strongest development potential move ahead. By using computational precision in the early stages of discovery, both partners aim to reduce the time and resources spent on candidates that may not succeed later. The long-term goal, as highlighted by both organisations, is to benefit patients. Faster discovery cycles and better candidate selection can help bring differentiated, effective, and accessible therapies to patients sooner.
“Drug discovery has always been a long and uncertain journey, and that uncertainty has real consequences for patients. Our collaboration with Denovo Sciences is about using the best available technology to make this journey faster and more precise. AI gives us the ability to explore a much larger molecular space than traditional methods, while the human-in-the-loop model ensures that scientific rigour remains central to every decision. This is the kind of R&D investment we believe will shape Mankind Pharma’s next chapter,” said Arjun Juneja, COO, Mankind Pharma Ltd.
“Artificial intelligence is significantly accelerating drug discovery timelines, particularly through emerging tools in generative chemistry, modular antibody design, and process optimization across the preclinical as well as clinical development value chain. Our entry into AI-driven drug discovery will position Mankind as one of India’s leading innovations-focused pharmaceutical companies,” said Dr Anil Koul, who leads innovation as company Group CSO.
“Partnering with Mankind Pharma is a natural fit for what we have built at Denovo Sciences. Our platform is designed to work alongside experienced drug discovery experts to generate better candidates, faster. Mankind Pharma brings deep R&D expertise and a strong commitment to making medicines more accessible. Together, we are using our proprietary AI technologies where they can create the greatest impact at the earliest stage of the discovery process, where the right decisions save the most time,” said Hovakim Zakaryan, CEO, Denovo Sciences Inc.
For Mankind Pharma, this collaboration reflects a clear move beyond traditional drug discovery methods. The company has been expanding its R&D ambitions in recent years, and the partnership with Denovo Sciences represents its strongest step yet towards using AI as a core tool in the drug development process.
For Denovo Sciences, this collaboration represents a significant step in applying its proprietary technologies at scale with a leading pharmaceutical partner. It also supports Denovo Sciences’ broader goal of translating AI technologies into better drug candidates that can ultimately benefit patients.
About Mankind Pharma
Mankind Pharma (BSE: 543904 | NSE: MANKIND) is one of the largest pharmaceutical company in India, which focuses on the domestic market with its Pan India presence. Mankind operates at the intersection of the Indian pharmaceutical formulations and consumer healthcare sectors with the aim of providing quality products at affordable prices. The company is a leading player in the domestic pharmaceuticals business present across acute and chronic therapeutic areas including anti-infectives, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, antidiabetic, neuro/CNS, gynecology, VMN and respiratory, among others with a strategy to increase chronic presence going ahead. In the consumer healthcare business, the company operates in the condoms, pregnancy detection, emergency contraceptives, antacid powders, vitamin and mineral supplements and anti-acne preparations categories, among others, with several category-leading brands. Following the acquisition of Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited, Mankind Pharma has further strengthened its leadership in the domestic women’s health segment. Mankind’s distribution network includes a robust field force of 18,500+ professionals, and a reach extending to over five lakh doctors across urban and rural markets. The company has 32 manufacturing facilities in India manufacturing a wide range of dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, syrups, vials, ampoules, blow fill seal, soft and hard gels, eye drops, creams, contraceptives and other over-the-counter products. Mankind has a consistent track record of product innovation through 7 dedicated R&D facilities backed by more than 730+ scientists
For more information, visit www.mankindpharma.com or contact:
Natasha Raj – 9205057627 – natasha.raj@mankindpharma.com
About Denovo Sciences:
Denovo Sciences Inc. is an AI-driven drug discovery company developing proprietary technologies to make early-stage small-molecule discovery faster, more efficient and more precise. Founded in 2022, Denovo Sciences combines proprietary AI technologies with computational chemistry and computational biology to support target analysis, AI-driven molecular generation, synthesis prediction, candidate prioritisation and lead optimisation. The Denovo Platform integrates these capabilities into an end-to-end discovery workflow, enabling partners to progress from target selection to optimised lead candidates with greater speed, quality and scientific confidence. Denovo Sciences works with industry and academic partners across multiple discovery programmes and has a global presence across the USA, Armenia and Qatar.
