Waterdrop, Inc. ADR Class A (WDH.US) aims to address the clinical recruitment challenges in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer through Yi Fan Pharmaceutical, setting a new standard for services.

Recently, the domestic professional clinical research recruitment service agency Waterdrop, Inc. ADR Class A (WDH.US) announced the latest project results. The global multi-center Phase III clinical recruitment project for a targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) treating extensive-stage small cell lung cancer achieved a remarkable increase in recruitment efficiency within just two months, setting a new monthly recruitment record since the project began and successfully addressing the industry's pain points in recruiting subjects for clinical research on small cell lung cancer. This collaborative project aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the targeted ADC drug compared to standard second-line treatment for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who have progressed after first-line treatment, seeking new therapeutic options for patients with advanced refractory lung cancer. In response to the core challenges of a tight recruitment timeline, difficult patient screening, and a very short treatment window, Waterdrop, Inc. implemented a systematic, refined, and data-driven full-chain recruitment service that achieved breakthroughs across four dimensions: project recruitment speed, patient reserves, service response, and regional coverage within just 60 days. According to recruitment statistics from the Waterdrop platform, the project set a record for monthly recruitment in June, doubling the total recruitment of the previous five months, with a selection success rate of 55%. Additionally, the project added an average of 17.5 newly reserved patients per month, a 56% increase compared to the first half of the year. With multi-dimensional innovative strategies, Waterdrop, Inc. is reshaping the new standards for clinical recruitment services. It is understood that small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive and rapidly progressing type of lung cancer, making clinical treatment extremely challenging. According to the "CSCO Small Cell Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines 2025," approximately two-thirds of patients are already in extensive stage at the time of diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate consistently in single digits, far lower than that of non-small cell lung cancer. Currently, platinum-containing chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy is the mainstream treatment option, but after disease progression, second-line standard treatment methods are limited and have low efficacy, leaving many advanced patients in urgent need of innovative treatment solutions. Upon undertaking the accelerated recruitment task for this project, Waterdrop, Inc. precisely targeted industry pain points, abandoning the passive model of traditional clinical research that waits for patients to come forward. Instead, they established a full-chain recruitment system characterized by "active outreach, educational empowerment, precise pre-screening, and data review," employing refined operations to tackle the recruitment challenges of SCLC and achieving both qualitative and quantitative improvements within just 60 days. In terms of patient outreach, Waterdrop, Inc. restructured the recruitment pathways by leveraging its national healthcare resource network, mapping out the outreach zones of various research centers, and establishing multi-dimensional recruitment touchpoints outside of hospitals to accurately reach potential patient groups dispersed across hospitals at various levels. According to recruitment statistics from Waterdrop, among the 96 patients accumulated for the project, 79% came from independently expanded channels outside research centers, providing many late-stage patients, who would otherwise not have access to in-house research resources, with new treatment opportunities. In terms of patient communication, the Waterdrop team focused on addressing core concerns of late-stage patients and their families, such as drug safety, treatment efficacy, and clinical trial-related rights, using straightforward language to provide professional educational Q&A. Through prior educational empowerment, they helped patients establish a clear understanding of clinical research, alleviating medical concerns and ensuring that subjects are adequately informed and voluntarily enrolled, thereby establishing a solid compliance foundation for clinical research. With the recruitment volume doubling in a single month, Waterdrop, Inc. empowers clinical processes professionally while benefiting patients. The patient recruitment window for SCLC is measured in weeks, making it imperative not to waste any opportunities. The project specialists at Waterdrop perform initial assessments at the medical record level for each reserved patient. For example, among the 96 reserved patients, those who did not meet the criteria due to staging issues, lack of a platinum treatment history, or having exceeded line treatment options were pre-screened and patiently explained during the out-of-hospital phase. This approach ensured that patients were not put through unnecessary visits and preserved valuable screening resources for research centers for patients more likely to be enrolled, achieving a selection success rate of 55%. At the same time, Waterdrop addressed patients' primary concerns regarding "safety," "efficacy," and "clinical trial-related checks and drugs," providing answers in easily understandable language. This allowed patients to establish a basic understanding before approaching the center. Waterdrop's recruitment statistics showed that the recruitment efficiency for this project in June was double that of the total in the previous five months, setting a new record for monthly recruitment since project initiation. Furthermore, the project added 35 new reserved patients, with an average of 17.5 per month, reflecting a 56% increase compared to the first half of the year. Moreover, Waterdrop continues to expand the coverage of this project, sourcing reserved patients from over 20 core research centers nationwide, encompassing provincial cancer hospitals and tertiary general hospitals across various regions including North China, East China, Central China, South China, and Southwest China, thereby achieving a scale and comprehensive recruitment layout. Service response efficiency has significantly improved, with the fastest recruitment cycle from patient reservation registration to successful random enrollment being just 9 days, which buys precious treatment time for late-stage patients with very short windows. Efficient and precise subject recruitment is a key factor in accelerating the implementation of innovative therapies and benefiting patients. A representative from Waterdrop stated that the core value of clinical recruitment extends beyond merely advancing project timelines; it is also about creating new survival hope for every late-stage patient facing treatment bottlenecks. It is understood that Waterdrop is a digital clinical patient recruitment platform under Waterdrop, Inc. ADR Class A, relying on the vast patient population and digital AI capabilities of Waterdrop, Inc. to undertake patient recruitment and other services, focusing on addressing the industry's pain points of "slow recruitment and difficult matching in clinical trials while helping renowned domestic and international pharmaceutical companies improve R&D efficiency. As of March 2026, Waterdrop has partnered with 243 well-known domestic and international pharmaceutical companies and CROs, completing 1,718 clinical trial projects and enrolling a total of 15,512 patients. Among them, Yizhaomuke, operated by Waterdrop, provides patients with clinical trial project information, preliminary screening, project matching, and support for connecting with research centers. In the future, Waterdrop will continue to delve into clinical research recruitment services, continuously optimize the full-chain service system, and leverage professional, refined, and data-driven service capabilities to facilitate the efficient advancement of more innovative drug clinical research, accelerating the implementation of quality innovative therapies to allow more difficult tumor patients to experience the hope of having medicine to treat and new options to look forward to.