Iktos vs Numerion Labs (2026)
Both design small molecules with AI, and one sells the software while the other develops its own drugs. Iktos, founded in Paris in 2016, sells Makya for generative design with synthetic accessibility built in, Spaya for retrosynthesis, robotic chemistry and engine APIs, alongside discovery collaborations. Numerion Labs, formerly Atomwise, develops small molecules for immune and inflammatory disease on COSMOS, a chemistry foundation model, APEX for enumerating billions of virtual compounds, and EXPO for optimization. As Atomwise it published the AIMS study, with novel hits for 235 of 318 academic targets. Iktos suits a team that wants to run design tools itself; Numerion is a drug developer whose platform works mainly on its own programs.
- Generative design as software, Makya, with synthesis built into generation.
- Retrosynthesis with Spaya, routing to commercially available starting materials.
- Robotic synthesis, purification and testing, and APIs that plug the models into a team's own workflows.
- A prospective published screening record: novel hits for 235 of 318 academic targets in the AIMS study (Scientific Reports, 2024).
- A current platform of COSMOS, APEX and EXPO, aimed at immune and inflammatory disease.
- Enumeration at scale, described in October 2025 research with NVIDIA.
This comparison is published by AI Health Index, an independent research platform that compares healthcare AI vendors objectively. Iktos and Numerion Labs are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI Health Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Fact | Iktos | Numerion Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Drug Discovery AI | Drug Discovery AI |
| Founded | 2016 | Not recorded |
| Headquarters | Paris, France | San Francisco, CA |
| Website | iktos.ai | numerionlabs.ai |
Side by Side
Each record in one paragraph
Written to be quoted whole. Each paragraph states what the AI Health Index verified about the vendor, with the caveats attached. Generated from this pair’s live capability grades, so it moves when a grade moves.
The AI Health Index awards Iktos its top capability grade on AI Centrality. Set against Numerion Labs, Iktos grades higher on several axes, including Model Supply Chain Disclosure, AI Safety and PHI Stewardship and Security Certifications and Trust Center. Its thinnest published disclosure sits on HIPAA and BAA Posture. Grades reflect evidence the AI Health Index could verify at the last review, so a low grade records disclosure the vendor has not published rather than a capability it has been shown to lack.
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
The AI Health Index awards Numerion Labs its top capability grade on AI Centrality. Set against Iktos, Numerion Labs grades higher on HIPAA and BAA Posture, AI Governance and Bias Disclosure and AI Liability and Recourse. Its thinnest published disclosure sits on Security Certifications and Trust Center and EHR and Interoperability Depth. Grades reflect evidence the AI Health Index could verify at the last review, so a low grade records disclosure the vendor has not published rather than a capability it has been shown to lack.
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
Questions buyers ask
Should we choose Iktos or Numerion Labs?
On the axes where the AI Health Index separates them, Iktos grades higher on several axes, including Model Supply Chain Disclosure, AI Safety and PHI Stewardship and Security Certifications and Trust Center, and Numerion Labs grades higher on HIPAA and BAA Posture, AI Governance and Bias Disclosure and AI Liability and Recourse. Iktos leads on the greater share of scored axes, but the split means the decision turns on which constraint is binding rather than on an overall winner.
Where do Iktos and Numerion Labs differ most?
The widest separation the AI Health Index records between Iktos and Numerion Labs is on HIPAA and BAA Posture, where Iktos grades D and Numerion Labs grades B. That axis sits in the Regulatory and Compliance group, so it should carry the most weight for a buyer whose binding constraint is where regulatory exposure sits and who carries it.
Where do Iktos and Numerion Labs grade the same?
The AI Health Index grades Iktos and Numerion Labs the same on several axes, including AI Centrality, Autonomy and Oversight Model and Model and Technology Transparency. Neither holds an advantage the index can evidence on those axes, so they should not carry weight in a selection between these two.
What have Iktos and Numerion Labs not disclosed?
At the last review, at least one of Iktos and Numerion Labs published thin or absent detail on HIPAA and BAA Posture, Security Certifications and Trust Center and EHR and Interoperability Depth. The AI Health Index treats an absent disclosure as a gap in the public record rather than a failure of the product, so these are the axes to get in writing during diligence instead of inferring from the grade.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Drug Discovery AI page.
Both records were reviewed on this site in September 2026. Neither publishes prices. Part of Iktos's published material could not be read for this review, and Numerion's strongest published result predates its rename.
Ask both how a designed molecule that fails synthesis or testing is fed back into the models.