The core value of AI-driven new drug development is increasingly shifting toward the clinical phase, according to TAIMEI TECH (2576.HK) Chairman Zhao Lu. In a recent interview, Zhao noted that the industry has gradually come to recognize this trend, as technological advances in AI-powered pharma have led to a rapid increase in candidate molecules that urgently require clinical validation, highlighting the growing value of AI-enabled clinical development platforms.
On the evening of August 26, TAIMEI TECH released its interim results for 2026. In the first half, the company posted total revenue of RMB 264 million, up 8% year-on-year, with gross profit rising 17.5% to RMB 118 million. The period's loss widened by 64.3% to RMB 48.16 million, while the adjusted net loss expanded to RMB 30.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed by 83% to RMB 3.424 million.
Founded in 2013 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2024, TAIMEI TECH is widely recognized as the industry's first pharma SaaS stock. Amid the ongoing AI wave, the company has ramped up its investments in artificial intelligence, currently operating two main segments: an AI clinical development platform and AI-powered clinical development services.
According to the company, its overall market share remains stable at 20%, with a share well above that level in the high-end innovative drug segment, cementing its position as an industry leader. The interim report shows that the AI clinical development platform generated revenue of RMB 159 million, up 22% year-on-year, with new contract value reaching RMB 266 million, a 47% increase, and a gross margin of 63.6%. The company attributes this growth primarily to its AI intelligent platform "Wiz.AI Wensi," which contributed RMB 124 million in new contracts, up 67%, and delivered revenue of RMB 61.83 million, a 48% jump.
In the AI-powered clinical development services segment, new contract value stood at approximately RMB 97.4 million, down 27.9% year-on-year. The company explained that this decline reflects a proactive restructuring of its business mix, with a deliberate reduction in some historically low-margin contracts. The segment's gross margin improved to 15.9%, and as AI technology continues to permeate, the company expects further gains in profitability.
"The core value of AI in the clinical stage lies in precisely matching patients, delivering scientifically sound clinical protocols, and transforming traditional clinical development processes, allowing patients to benefit from new drug R&D more quickly," Zhao said when discussing AI's role in clinical trials. He outlined a tiered view of AI's clinical value: at the most basic level, it enhances efficiency by reducing costs and accelerating the completion of clinical trial validation; at the next level, it optimizes trial design, helping to avoid unnecessary risks and failures while maximizing trial effectiveness; and at the highest level, it refines overall clinical treatment plans, ensuring the right patients receive the most appropriate therapeutic approaches.
Zhao noted that TAIMEI TECH's full-process AI product system is expected to shorten overall clinical trial timelines by 30% to 60%, while significantly improving subject screening and trial protocol design, thereby boosting the success rate of new drug clinical R&D.
Notably, at the end of 2025, TAIMEI TECH, in partnership with Kaifeng Venture Capital, established the Kaifeng Taimei Innovative Drug Fund, integrating AI-driven clinical development capabilities, professional CRO services, and capital. Zhao highlighted that this pipeline industry fund will become a new core revenue stream for the company. "In the long term, our equity in new drug pipelines will capture value appreciation post-commercialization; in the short term, the high ratio of project equity transfers during pipeline advancement will provide steady, predictable cash flow. Combining clinical development expertise with industrial capital leverage will create a virtuous business loop," he explained.
As of the time of writing, TAIMEI TECH shares were down more than 1.7%.