South Korea-based Pharos iBio and Kolon Pharma have signed a joint research and development agreement to co-develop PHI-701, a preclinical EGFR-targeting small molecule candidate for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), converting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in May into a formal collaboration with shared preclinical and clinical responsibilities. The deal gives Kolon Pharma, the generics and prescription-drug unit of Kolon Group, its first jointly developed oncology asset under its new-drug division, which was added through a 2023 merger with cancer-drug developer Platbio.
PHI-701 is an AI-designed candidate targeting EGFR mutations and acquired resistance mechanisms that emerge after treatment with existing EGFR-directed therapies, including the C797S resistance mutation that develops following third-generation agents. The companies said they are pursuing a fourth-generation EGFR inhibitor strategy employing a dual mechanism that selectively inhibits mutant EGFR while also blocking cell adhesion and migration signaling pathways used by cancer cells as survival bypass routes. Pharos iBio will generate and optimize candidates using its Chemiverse AI drug discovery platform, which draws on a database of approximately 6.2 billion protein three-dimensional structures and compounds. Kolon Pharma's new-drug division will conduct mechanism-of-action studies and preclinical testing, including nonclinical efficacy evaluations informed by clinical trial design considerations.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The companies said they will jointly determine clinical strategy, including target patient populations and trial design, with no lead clinical sponsor identified at this stage. In June, the PHI-701 program was selected for a state-funded AI drug development program administered by South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), providing additional non-dilutive support for the collaboration.
Pharos iBio joined Eli Lilly's federated TuneLab AI ecosystem as a strategic participant in June 2026, gaining access to Lilly's proprietary datasets and models, and previously signed a platform-access MOU with the University of Sydney's Drug Discovery Initiative in May 2023. The Kolon Pharma agreement commits both parties to joint preclinical execution and shared clinical planning for a named asset. The fourth-generation EGFR inhibitor field is attracting increasing attention as the patient population progressing through third-generation agents such as AstraZeneca's Tagrisso (osimertinib) continues to grow, with resistance mutations including C797S creating demand for subsequent-line options that current approved therapies do not address.
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