D&D Pharmatech and LG AI Research Announce Joint AI-Peptide Drug Discovery Partnership; D&D Shares Jump 17%
South Korea's D&D Pharmatech and LG AI Research announced June 17 a joint development agreement for AI-designed next-generation oral peptide drugs. LG AI Research will use its EXAONE Discovery pharmaceutical AI platform, which analyzes disease-causing protein structures to design optimal peptide sequences, while D&D contributes its oral peptide delivery experience and obesity-pipeline programs. D&D's shares closed up 16.59% on the announcement. The deal extends D&D's late-cycle pipeline momentum, following the April 2026 $1.3M Pfizer research contract on oral obesity peptides after Pfizer's Metsera acquisition, and the June ADA showcase of Korean monthly-GLP-1 programs.