TIDES Weekly | Global Peptide and Oligonucleotide Drug News (July 18–24, 2025)
Ribo Life Science
Small Nucleic Acid Drug Developer
On July 18, 2025, the official website of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) showed that Novo Nordisk's semaglutide injection was approved for a new indication, which is used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease deterioration, renal failure (end-stage renal disease), and death in adult patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). This indication has been approved by the FDA in January this year.
The NMPA approval was based on the positive results of the Phase III FLOW study. This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled superiority trial (n=3533), evaluating Ozempic (1.0mg semaglutide) versus placebo as an adjunctive treatment to standard-of-care for renal outcomes in preventing the progression of kidney damage and reducing the risk of renal and cardiovascular death in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD.Efficacy and Safety.
About Semaglutide
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that stimulates insulin production, inhibits glucagon secretion, and reduces appetite and food intake. Semaglutide was initially developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.ApprovedLaunched (Trade Name: Ozempic), in view of its significant effect on weight loss, the FDA approved it in June 2021.ApprovalIt is used to treat ordinary obese patients (trade name: Wegovy), which is the first new drug approved by the US FDA for controlling common obesity or overweight since 2014. The drug was subsequently approved by the EU later in the same year for treating obesity indications.
AboutNovo Nordisk
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Novo Nordisk was founded in 1923 and is a global leading biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Our goal is to drive change to defeat diabetes, obesity, rare blood disorders, endocrine disorders, and other serious chronic diseases.
2025Year 7, July 18Day, Dongcheng Pharmaceutical announced that its controlling subsidiaryLanatcheng BioCompleted over 300 million RMB in C+ round financing. This round of financing was jointly invested by China Cinda, New Momentum Fund, and Dongcheng Pharmaceutical.HaoYue CapitalActed as the exclusive financial advisor.
Lan Nancheng was established in 2021, incubated by Dongcheng Pharmaceuticals, focusing on the research and commercialization of Class 1 "theranostic" innovative radiopharmaceutical conjugates (RDC). The company, with a "targeted molecule-imaging diagnostics-therapeutic nuclear medicine" trinity technology platform at its core, has built a complete closed loop covering early discovery, CMC, clinical trials, and registration.
The proceeds of this fundraising will be mainly used to accelerate the global clinical development and industrialization process of the innovative RDC pipeline for "integrated diagnosis and treatment," further consolidating Lanercheng's leading position in the field of nuclear medicine.
2025Year 7, July 21DaySuzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. ("Ribo Life Science" or "the Company") recently announced the completion of a new round of private equity financing exceeding 200 million RMB. This round of financing was led by Mingxin Capital, with participation from Kunshan High-Tech Venture Capital, Kunshan Guoke Venture Capital, Chouqin Venture Capital, Panthera Capital, Langma Peak Venture Capital, and Shenzhen Xinchuang Medical Cooperation, among other well-known investment institutions. The funds raised will primarily be used to accelerate the advancement of the company's self-developed clinical pipelines in the treatment areas of cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, and liver diseases, deepen innovation and product development for extracellular hepatic delivery technology platforms, and strengthen global R&D and industrial capacity building.
Since its establishment, with the high recognition and firm support of many well-known investors, the company has completed multiple rounds of financing totaling over 1.8 billion RMB. From being one of the earliest pioneers in China's small nucleic acid field to becoming a global leader in siRNA therapy, Ribo Life Science has witnessed the vigorous development of small nucleic acid drug research and has accompanied and led the growth of China’s siRNA industry. Currently, with a highly forward-looking global strategic layout, the company has built multiple R&D centers and a globally integrated small nucleic acid drug development system in Kunshan (Suzhou), Beijing, and Europe. Through independent innovation, it has developed a rich pipeline of siRNA drugs and achieved full lifecycle technical coverage for small nucleic acid drugs from early-stage research to commercialization.
About Ribo Life Science
Ribo Life Science is a global leader specializing in the research and development of small nucleic acid (siRNA) drugs. Ribo Life Science aligns with the innovative frontier of international small nucleic acid technology, committing to the iterative R&D of small nucleic acid chemical modifications and drug delivery technologies. It has established an independent and controllable small nucleic acid drug R&D platform that integrates the entire technical chain, supporting various stages of small nucleic acid drug research from early development to industrialization.
2025Year July21Day，Johnson & JohnsonAndProtagonist TherapeuticsAnnouncement of Submission to FDA for Market Approval of IL-23R Oral Cyclopeptide Inhibitor Icotrokinra for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis. This market application is based onData from four pivotal Phase III clinical trials, includingICONIC-LEAD、ICONIC-TOTAL、ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 and ICONIC-ADVANCE 2.
Icotrokinra is a first-in-class investigational targeted oral peptide that selectively blocks the IL-23 receptor, for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO). Icotrokinra is uniquely designed to...Capable of blocking the IL-23 receptor — a key factor underlying the inflammatory response in plaque psoriasis, with potential applications in other IL-23 mediated diseases.
About Icotrokinra (JNJ-77242113, JNJ-2113)
The investigational drug icotrokinra is the first targeted oral peptide designed to selectively block the IL-23 receptor 1 — a key receptor underlying inflammatory responses in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and ulcerative colitis, while also showing potential in other IL-23 mediated diseases. Icotrokinra binds to the IL-23 receptor with picomolar (single-digit) affinity and demonstrates potent, selective inhibition of IL-23 signaling in human T cells.
AboutJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 and is one of the most comprehensive healthcare product enterprises with a wide range of business distributions globally, covering medical technology and innovative pharmaceuticals. Its headquarters is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
2025Year July22Day，Grand Pharmaceutical (0512.HK) Global Innovative Radiopharmaceutical RDC TLX591 for Prostate Cancer Treatment (177Lu-rosopatamab tetraxetan Granted Implied Approval by China's National Medical Products Administration for Participation in International Multicenter Phase III Clinical Trial — A Significant R&D Progress for Grand Pharma in the Field of Radiopharmaceutical Antitumor Diagnosis and Treatment. The company highly values the globalization development strategy of the radiopharmaceuticals industry, actively promotes the global development and registration process of innovative radiopharmaceutical products, and will continue to deepen the global expansion of its radiopharmaceutical product pipeline.
This study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, international multicenter Phase III clinical trial, planning to enroll more than 500 patients in multiple countries and regions worldwide, including China, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, aiming to evaluate TLX591 combined with standard...Efficacy and Safety of Treatment Compared with Standard Treatment Alone in Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) Progressing After Prior Treatment with Androgen Receptor Pathway Inhibitors (ARPI).
TLX591 is a globally innovative monoclonal antibody product carrying therapeutic radionuclides, intended for the treatment of PSMA-positive mCRPC patients who have progressed after prior ARPI treatment. Its core technology achieves dual breakthroughs through precise antibody targeting and a radionuclide delivery system: the product targets PSMA, utilizing a monoclonal antibody as a highly specific targeting device to deliver the therapeutic radionuclide 177Lu precisely to the tumor site, while significantly reducing off-target organ exposure. Compared to currently available treatments lasting six cycles over 30 weeks targeting PSMA,With radioligand therapy (RLT), TLX591 requires only a two-dose regimen spaced approximately 14 days apart, significantly shortening the treatment cycle and greatly enhancing patient compliance and convenience. This breakthrough dosing regimen and trial design address the clinical pain points of long treatment cycles and heavy patient burden associated with existing therapies.
About Grand Pharmaceutical
Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited (Stock Code: 00512.HK) ("Grand Pharmaceutical") is an international pharmaceutical company driven by innovation, integrating nuclear medicine for oncology treatment, precision interventional therapies for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, pharmaceutical technology, and biotechnology.
2025YearJuly23DayYuekang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") subsidiary Beijing Yuekang Chuangke Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yuekang Chuangke") has received a Study May Proceed Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter referred to as "FDA") approving the clinical trial of YKYY029 injection for the treatment of hypertension (IND Number: 176571).
YKYY029 Injection is a small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) drug targeting the AGT gene, independently developed by Yokuang Innovation and its wholly-owned subsidiary Hangzhou Tianlong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Its uniqueness lies in the conjugation with Yokuang's self-developed GalNAc delivery system, which has complete independent intellectual property rights. The system has obtained nationalThe Intellectual Property Office granted the invention patent, and the PCT international application was completed simultaneously, enabling efficient liver-targeted delivery.
AboutYuekang Pharmaceutical Group
Yuekang Pharmaceutical Group, established in 2001 and headquartered in Beijing, is a pharmaceutical group enterprise integrating new drug research and development, pharmaceutical production, distribution sales, and international trade.
2025Year July22Day，AbivaxAnnouncing MicroRNA（miRNA）DrugObefazimod（ABX464）TreatmentTwo Phase III Studies of Ulcerative Colitis (UC) (ABTECT-1 andABTECT-2) both reached the primary endpoint.
Obefazimod is an orally administered, first-in-class HIV RNA therapy developed by Abivax that enhances the expression of miR-124 (an anti-inflammatory miRNA).Splicing regulator inhibits viral replication by preventing Rev-mediated unspliced HIV-1 transcript export to the cytoplasm and interacting with the cap-binding complex (CBC).
About Abivax
Abivax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that harness the body's natural regulatory mechanisms to stabilize immune responses in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.
2025Year July22Day, Haobo Pharmaceuticals (Ausper Biopharma Co., Ltd. and AusperBio Therapeutics Inc.), a clinical-stage innovative drug research and development company focusing on the development of self-innovative targeted delivery small nucleic acid drugs, is committed to achieving the goal of clinical cure for chronic hepatitis B. The company announced today that the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China National Medical Products Administration has approved its core candidate drug A.HB-137 Initiates Phase III Clinical Trial.
This Phase III clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study conducted in China, aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of 300 mg AHB-137 over a 24-week treatment period in HBeAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B who are receiving stable nucleos(t)ide analog therapy.
Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) is a major global public health issue, with approximately 290 million infected individuals worldwide, including about 75 million in China, and can subsequently lead to serious complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although existing therapies can suppress viral replication, the vast majority of patients still struggle to achieve clinical cure.
AHB-137It is a non-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) drug that has the potential to become a cornerstone for clinical cure of chronic hepatitis B, and has gained widespread attention and recognition due to its significantly outstanding efficacy and safety.
About AHB-137
AHB-137 is a non-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) with the potential to become a cornerstone for clinical cure of chronic hepatitis B. It is the first innovative drug from Haobo Medicine's self-developed platform Med-Oligo™ to enter clinical trials, and its excellent preclinical and clinical data have gained widespread attention at EASL™ (2023, 2024, 2025) and the 2024 AASLD™ conference. Currently, AHB-137 is simultaneously undergoing a global multicenter Phase I clinical trial and multiple Phase II clinical trials being conducted in China. Through global strategic planning, it aims to accelerate the realization of a clinical cure for hepatitis B.
About Haobo Medicine
AusperBio is a clinical-stage innovative drug development company operating simultaneously in China and the United States, dedicated to researching and developing First-in-class and Best-in-class proprietary targeted delivery small nucleic acid drugs.