Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s once-monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist, zovaglutide (ZT-002), met its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase II obesity trial, and QL Biopharm will now advance the GLP-1 to a pivotal phase III study.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a supporting tool in biotechnology – it is beginning to define the way drugs are discovered, tested and advanced into the clinic, speakers said during the Bio Hong Kong conference Sept. 10 to 13.

“New explosions in biotechnology are allowing us to interrogate cancers at a very sophisticated level compared to before,” Dennis Slamon told audience members at the Global Bio Conference in Seoul, South Korea Sept. 3.

Argenica Therapeutics Ltd. saw its stock drop 56% following mixed results for its ARG-007 phase II Seancon trial in acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing endovascular revascularization, or thrombectomy.

Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. and Merck & Co. Inc.’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) ifinatamab deruxtecan produced a confirmed 48.2% objective response rate in a phase II study of previously treated patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.

Detailed data are expected later, but partners Biontech SE and Duality Biologics Co. Ltd. are celebrating a phase III interim analysis readout demonstrating that HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) trastuzumab pamirtecan hit the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer who have previously received trastuzumab and a taxane-based chemotherapy.

The recombinant fusion protein drug telitacicept from Remegen Co. Ltd. and Vor Bio Inc. has notched a phase III win in treating adults with IgA nephropathy. The clinical trial of the fusion protein hit the primary endpoint, reducing proteinuria, too much protein in patients’ urine, in stage A of the study in China.

Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s gumokimab (AK-111) and manfidokimab met all primary efficacy endpoints in its phase III trials in active ankylosing spondylitis and in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, respectively.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Daewoong Therapeutics Inc. reported that their self-developed microneedle patch loaded with semaglutide demonstrated 80% relative bioavailability compared to an injectable subcutaneous formulation of semaglutide in a pilot human pharmacokinetic study. That far exceeds rates seen in other patches or oral formulations.