Shares of BAO PHARMA-B (02659) climbed more than 10% during the trading session. At the time of writing, the stock is up 4.82%, trading at HK$18.92 with a turnover of HK$8.4168 million.

The company recently announced that the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its self-developed, globally leading BJ044 injection (recombinant ulinastatin, BJ044), developed via synthetic biology, has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China. This approval grants permission to commence clinical trials. Notably, BJ044 may be the only recombinant ulinastatin developed through synthetic biology in China, and potentially globally.

Currently available ulinastatin products derived from human urine rely on a non-standardized production process involving urine collection and purification, which carries risks of viral contamination and inconsistent quality between batches. In contrast, the recombinant form of ulinastatin, such as BJ044, is designed to overcome these limitations by offering a more stable, efficient, and scalable production method. The recombinant technology employed for BJ044 minimizes contamination risks and enhances safety for clinical use. It offers advantages including high purity, excellent batch-to-batch consistency, significant cost-effectiveness, and eliminates the ethical concerns associated with traditional biochemical extraction methods.