Belite Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLTE) saw its stock soar 5.16% in Monday's trading session, despite reporting a wider-than-expected loss for the third quarter of 2025. The biotech company, focused on developing novel therapeutics for degenerative retinal diseases, released its financial results and provided a corporate update that appears to have boosted investor confidence.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2025, Belite Bio reported a net loss of $21.69 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $0.28 per share in the same period last year. While the loss was larger than the $0.45 per share analysts had expected, investors seem to be focusing on the company's progress in its clinical trials and regulatory pathways.
Key highlights from the corporate update include: 1. Completion of enrollment with 530 subjects in the pivotal phase 3 PHOENIX trial for geographic atrophy (GA). 2. Completion of the pivotal phase 3 DRAGON trial in Stargardt disease (STGD), with final topline data expected in Q4 2025. 3. China's NMPA and UK's MHRA have agreed to accept New Drug Applications for Tinlarebant for the treatment of Stargardt disease based on interim analysis results. 4. A strengthened financial position with $275.6 million in cash and equivalents as of September 30, 2025, bolstered by recent equity offerings.
Dr. Tom Lin, Chairman and CEO of Belite Bio, expressed optimism about the company's progress, stating, "We are very encouraged by China NMPA's and UK MHRA's response to accept New Drug Application for Tinlarebant based on Phase 3 interim results." This positive regulatory feedback, combined with the completion of key clinical trials, appears to have overshadowed the wider quarterly loss in investors' minds, driving the stock's significant uptick.