HK Stock Market Move | LEPU BIO-B (02157) rose by more than 6%, self-developed ADC drug MRG004A started Phase III clinical trial for pancreatic cancer.

LEPU BIO-B (02157) surged over 6% again, as of the time of writing, it rose by 5.41% to HK$8.77, with a trading volume of HK$189 million. On the news front, the National Medical Products Administration's Drug Evaluation Center recently announced that LEPU BIO's self-developed antibody-drug conjugate MRG004A targeting tissue factor (TF) has officially started a Phase III clinical trial for pancreatic cancer. In addition, on August 1st, LEPU BIO announced a collaboration with Excalipoint on two preclinical TCE assets, with an upfront payment of $10 million and a potential total transaction value of over $850 million, while also holding a 10% stake in the collaboration company. Pacific Securities previously pointed out that MRG003, an EGFR-targeted ADC developed by LEPU BIO, has had its NDA for nasopharyngeal cancer officially accepted by the CDE and included in priority review, with the potential for approval by the end of 2025 or early 2026, becoming the first domestically commercialized EGFR ABC in China. MRG003 is also being tested concurrently in the United States and has been granted BTD by the FDA.