5Y News | QLT Biotherapeutics Raises Over 500 Million RMB in Series C Funding

Recently, Beijing Zhitai Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhitai Bio") announced that it has completed an oversubscribed Series C financing round of more than 500 million RMB. The round was led by OrbiMed, with participation from Qiming Venture Partners, a well-known industry fund, 5Y Capital, Xingze Capital, and Huagai Capital. Existing shareholders TF Capital, BlueRun Ventures, and Taiyu Investment continued to increase their stakes. HealthCare Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor for this round.

Zhitai Bio is a near-commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative drugs for chronic metabolic diseases. The company has pursued a differentiated strategy in the chronic metabolic disease space, targeting ultra-long-acting formulations, oral peptides, and multi-target approaches to address diverse patient needs. The convergence of these innovative technologies is expected to shape future treatment paradigms for chronic metabolic diseases. Its lead product, the innovative GLP-1RA monthly formulation Zovogruglutide (ZT002) injection, is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in China for weight reduction (the HORIZON-1 study) and is positioned to potentially become the world's first once-monthly GLP-1 peptide to reach the market.

Previously, Zovogruglutide demonstrated competitive efficacy and tolerability in Phase II clinical trials, with body weight reduction of up to 13.8% at week 24 without reaching a plateau, and discontinuation rates due to gastrointestinal adverse events close to zero. According to CIC, GLP-1RA monthly formulations are expected to shift the weight-loss treatment paradigm from weekly to monthly dosing, significantly improving patient adherence, and are projected to capture approximately 26% of the global GLP-1 drug market, estimated at $209.5 billion, by 2035.

Meanwhile, the innovative oral peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist ZT006 tablet is currently in Phase II clinical trials in China for weight reduction; the innovative GLP-1/FGF21 dual-target agonist ZT003 injection is undergoing Phase I clinical trials in Australia. The company's semaglutide biosimilar ZT001 has established partnerships with Tonghua Dongbao and Imeik for diabetes and weight-loss indications respectively, jointly advancing clinical development and commercialization.

Currently, Zhitai Bio has established four technology platforms focused on metabolic diseases: the QLLong ultra-long-acting technology platform, the QLOral oral peptide technology platform, the QLFold high-efficiency inclusion body protein refolding technology platform, and the QLFusion fusion protein technology platform, covering the entire process of recombinant protein production. With the approval of its commercial production base, Zhitai Bio now possesses a complete industry chain spanning early-stage drug R&D, pilot-scale production, and commercial manufacturing. With the support of this round of financing, Zhitai Bio will continue to increase R&D investment, accelerate clinical development and regulatory filings across its pipeline, expand its presence in the chronic metabolic disease space, and bring better therapeutics to patients as soon as possible.

Image source: Zhitai Bio official website

Xujia Zhang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Zhitai Bio, stated:

We are deeply grateful to our new and existing shareholders for their strong recognition of and steadfast support for Zhitai Bio. This trust is both the foundation of our confidence and an inexhaustible driving force for continued innovation. Since its founding, Zhitai Bio has remained committed to a patient-centered, innovation-driven approach, focusing deeply on the chronic metabolic disease space. We have built a proprietary E. coli production platform and established a globally competitive GLP-1 pipeline matrix centered on ultra-long-acting, oral, and multi-target approaches, while developing sustained capabilities in iterative innovation and clinical execution. Today, with Zovogruglutide advancing smoothly into Phase III trials for weight reduction and pipelines such as ZT006 and ZT003 making steady progress, every step forward reflects the dedication of our entire team and the consistent support of our shareholders. Going forward, we will continue to leverage our core advantages in technology, cost, and manufacturing capacity, accelerate clinical filings and commercialization across our pipeline, and — rooted in China, with a global outlook — strive to provide more accessible, more effective, and more competitive treatment options for patients with chronic metabolic diseases, in return for the trust, support, and companionship of our investors.

Kai Liu, Partner at 5Y Capital, stated:

In the GLP-1 space, a historically massive market, the true long-term winners will emerge from companies possessing underlying technological moats and sustained product iteration capabilities. Zhitai's proprietary E. coli production platform has established clear advantages in manufacturing capacity, cost structure, and quality control. At the same time, the company's globally leading monthly formulation product is well-positioned to carve out a new market segment through superior patient adherence and achieve differentiated breakthroughs. More importantly, the company's continuous pipeline upgrades and new project incubation around its core technology platform demonstrate strong program initiation capabilities and a compelling product evolution logic. We firmly believe in the company's ability to build long-term value in the metabolic disease space and look forward to its continued leadership in driving industry innovation.

About Zhitai Bio

Zhitai Bio is an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on metabolic diseases, with end-to-end core competitiveness spanning drug discovery through commercialization. Leveraging its proprietary E. coli technology platform, the company achieves peptide production efficiency far exceeding industry standards, with significant cost advantages and scalable manufacturing capabilities.

Patient-centered, Zhitai Bio maintains a highly differentiated innovative pipeline, leading clinical portfolio, and solid commercialization prospects. In addition to Zovogruglutide (ZT002) injection, the world's first once-monthly peptide-based GLP-1 RA, the company's pipeline includes the oral peptide GLP-1 RA ZT006 tablet, the differentiated GLP-1/FGF21 dual-target agonist ZT003 injection, and novel single-molecule long-acting GLP-1/Amylin candidates, covering obesity, diabetes, MASH, and neurological diseases. With robust technical expertise, a clear clinical roadmap, strong industrialization capabilities, and backing from leading market investors, Zhitai Bio is steadily establishing itself as a globally competitive innovative pharmaceutical company committed to continuously improving patient health and quality of life.

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