On September 6, reports emerged that Istaravir Hydrochloride Tablets (brand name: Aipusiwei), a Class 1 innovative drug co-developed by Westlake University, Westlake Laboratory, and Westlake Pharma (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., had secured conditional market approval from the National Medical Products Administration. Specifically formulated for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 infections in adults, this drug represents a major milestone in China’s original drug research and development landscape. As the first domestically developed original drug developed with the assistance of AI technology to receive approval, Aipusiwei advanced from drug discovery to clinical trial completion in just three and a half years. Utilizing DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) technology, the drug underwent screening to identify a novel molecular structure and leveraged AI technology for efficient development, offering fresh perspectives for global anti-COVID-19 drug research and development.