Biotech Top 50 Highlights: LTZ Therapeutics, Akeso, and Xiangxue Pharma Announce Key Milestones

"Weekly Corporate News"

Top 50 Biotech Startups of the Year Announced: LTZ Therapeutics Completes Series A Financing, raising over 20 million US dollars. This round of financing was led by Lapam Investment, with participation from Hillhouse Ventures, and additional investments from existing shareholders such as Qiming Venture Partners, K2 Venture Partners, and Shunwei Capital. Since its establishment in 2022, the company has raised approximately 50 million US dollars in total.

LTZ Therapeutics is a globally integrated biotechnology company focusing on novel immunotherapies. To address significant unmet clinical needs in areas such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, the company has independently developed the "Myeloid Engager Platform" and related original innovative drugs, aiming to enhance comprehensive clinical benefits for a broad patient population. The company’s international team is located in Shenzhen, China; Redwood City, California, USA; and Heidelberg, Germany. Based on reverse translational science and emerging tumor microenvironment biology, LTZ is committed to developing next-generation immunotherapies that can both overcome drug resistance and enhance anti-tumor immunity.

Top 50 Biotech Innovation Companies of the First Session - Akeso's Ivonescimab Injection Submits New Indication for Marketing Application, the indication has not been disclosed yet. Ivacitamab Injection is a humanized bispecific antibody of the IgG1 subtype that targets and binds to human vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and PD-1.

Akeso has launched multiple clinical studies on Eveci as a monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of solid tumors, covering more than 20 clinical studies across 16 indications, including lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and colorectal cancer. Globally, Eveci has six Phase III clinical trials currently underway.

TAEST16001 Injection, submitted by XLifeSC, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Xiangxue), included in the Breakthrough Therapy Designation ListThis marks a major breakthrough for TAEST16001 injection as the first TCR-T cell therapy new drug in China to receive IND approval for clinical trials, accelerating the process of pivotal clinical trials and conditional approval for market entry. The drug is expected to become the first TCR-T cell therapy drug to be launched in China, which is of great significance to the development of innovative immunotherapy drugs in China.