HK Stock Market Move | ASCLETIS-B (01672) surged over 6% as global Phase III clinical research for the oral GLP-1 small molecule ASC30 has been initiated.

ASCLETIS-B (01672) rose more than 6%, and as of the time of writing, it was up 5.94%, priced at HKD 9.535, with a transaction volume of HKD 13.7445 million. In news, on August 3, Gilead Sciences announced that its once-daily oral small molecule GLP-1 (ASC30) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Phase III clinical study. ASC30 is a core pillar of Gilead's oral small molecule obesity treatment pipeline. The company has initiated a global Phase III clinical program for the long-term weight management indication of ASC30, which will conduct two pivotal clinical trials in the U.S., Europe, and Canada, enrolling about 4,600 obese or overweight subjects. The company expects to release the top-line data from the ASC30 Phase III clinical project in the third quarter of 2028, and plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. FDA by the end of 2028, as well as a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in early 2029. If approved by the relevant regulatory authorities in the U.S. and Europe, ASC30 is expected to become the second oral small molecule GLP-1 approved in the U.S. and Europe, following orforglipron.