ASCLETIS-B (01672) surged more than 4%, reaching HK$9.74 by the time of writing, with a trading volume of HK$12.814 million. The company announced the selection of ASC36, a potential best-in-class once-monthly subcutaneous amylin receptor agonist, as a clinical development candidate.

ASCLETIS-B plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Q2 2026 for ASC36 as a treatment for obesity. ASC36 is a peptide-based amylin receptor agonist developed using the company's AI-assisted structure-based drug discovery platform and ultra-long-acting drug development technology.

The optimized design of ASC36 enables an extended apparent half-life (measured by the time for blood concentration to drop to 50% of Cmax) and higher bioavailability per milligram of peptide, supporting once-monthly subcutaneous administration with an injection volume not exceeding 1 mL. These design optimizations also contribute to lower production costs at scale.