# Ascletis' Oral Small Molecule GLP-1, ASC30, Demonstrated Placebo-Adjusted HbA1c Reduction of 1.7% at 12 Weeks from Its U.S. Phase II Study in Participants with Diabetes

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/ascletis-oral-small-molecule-glp-1-asc30-demonstrated-placebo-adjusted-hba1c-reduction-of-1-7-at-12-weeks-from-its-u-s-phase-ii-study-in-participants-with-diabetes
- Published: 2026-10-29T06:40:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

|   |

_– ASC30 reduced HbA1c by a placebo-adjusted 1.7%, 1.6% and 1.7% from baseline for
40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg, respectively, at 12 weeks, the primary endpoint._

_– ASC30 achieved placebo-adjusted weight reduction of 4.4%, 3.8% and 4.0% from 
baseline for 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg, respectively and no plateau was observed, at
13 weeks, a secondary endpoint._

_– ASC30 titrated weekly to maintenance doses (40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg) demonstrated
favorable safety and tolerability, with zero study discontinuations due to gastrointestinal
__adverse events._

_– No hepatic safety signal was observed._

HONG KONG, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672, "Ascletis")
announces today positive topline results from its U.S. Phase II study ([NCT07321678](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07321678?cond=ASC30&viewType=Card&rank=4))
evaluating ASC30, an oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, for the
treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). This Phase II study is a 13-week U.
S. study evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of oral small molecule
GLP-1R agonist ASC30, a once-daily tablet, in 100 participants with diabetes. The
primary endpoint is HbA1c reduction from baseline at 12 weeks; one of the secondary
endpoints are body weight loss from baseline at 13 weeks. ASC30 (40 mg, 60 mg, 80
mg) met the primary and all secondary endpoints, delivering significant HbA1C reduction
and weight loss as well as improvements in multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
T2D is the second indication in development for ASC30, in addition to obesity.

For the primary endpoint, ASC30 demonstrated statistically significant and clinically
meaningful HbA1c reduction in participants with diabetes compared to placebo (_p_
< 0.0001). Placebo-adjusted HbA1c reductions from baseline were 1.7%, 1.6% and 1.7%(
least squares mean) for 40 mg (n=20), 60 mg (n=29) and 80 mg (n=28), respectively,
at 12 weeks, using the efficacy estimand^([1]). Participants had an average HbA1c
of 8.3% at baseline.

For the secondary endpoint of body weight reduction, ASC30 demonstrated statistically
significant and clinically meaningful body weight reduction compared to placebo (
_p_ = 0.001 to 0.003). Placebo-adjusted body weight reduction from baseline was 
4.4%, 3.8% and 4.0% (least squares mean) for 40 mg (n=20), 60 mg (n=29) and 80 mg(
n=28), respectively and no plateau was observed, at 13 weeks, using the efficacy
estimand. Participants had an average body weight of 93.7 kg at baseline.

Although titration (once weekly) was fast in the study, ASC30 continued to demonstrate
favorable gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability. ASC30 titrated weekly to maintenance
doses (40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg) demonstrated favorable safety and GI tolerability,
with zero study discontinuations due to GI adverse events (AEs). The favorable GI
tolerability in diabetic participants was consistent with the finding from studies
in obese or overweight participants. It is anticipated that GI tolerability will
significantly improve in the Phase III diabetic program when titration is slowed
down to once every four weeks. There was only one study discontinuation (1/80, 1.3%,
hiccup) due to any AEs. The placebo group had zero study discontinuation due to 
any AEs.

In this ASC30 U.S. Phase II diabetic study, all drug-related AEs were only grade
1 (mild) and grade 2 (moderate) in severity. There were no drug-related serious 
AEs (SAEs).

The overall safety profile of ASC30 in diabetic participants was consistent with
that observed in another Phase II study ([NCT07002905](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07002905?cond=ASC30&viewType=Card&rank=2))
in participants with obesity or overweight. No hepatic safety signal was observed.
There were no elevations of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(
AST), or total bilirubin (TBL) during the treatment period. For all other safety
signals, ASC30 demonstrated a favorable safety profile in diabetic participants.

"These data demonstrate that ASC30 has the potential to be a best-in-class oral 
small molecule GLP-1 for diabetes, in addition to a best-in-class oral small molecule
GLP-1 for obesity as demonstrated by the efficacy and tolerability from our U.S.
Phase II study in participants with obesity or overweight," said Jinzi Jason Wu,
Ph.D., Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, "The combination of significant HbA1c
reductions, weight loss and favorable tolerability reinforces our confidence in 
advancing ASC30 as a once-daily oral treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes."

ASC30 was discovered and developed in-house at Ascletis as an investigational small
molecule GLP-1R fully biased agonist. The ASC30 global Phase III program for obesity
has two pivotal trials (AURORA-1 [NCT07743463](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07743463?cond=NCT07743463%20&viewType=Card&rank=1)
and AURORA-2 [NCT07743450](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07743450?cond=NCT07743450&viewType=Card&rank=1))
in the U.S., Europe, and Canada and is currently enrolling approximately 4,600 participants
with obesity or overweight. Topline data from the ASC30 global Phase III clinical
program for obesity are expected in the third quarter of 2028, with a U.S. Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA) New Drug Application (NDA) submission for obesity 
expected by the end of 2028 and a European Medicines Agency (EMA) Marketing Authorisation
Application (MAA) submission for obesity expected in early 2029. ASC30 has the potential
to become the second oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist available in the
U.S. and Europe, if approved.

[1] The efficacy estimand is the primary estimand which evaluates the treatment 
effect of all randomized eligible participants while adhering to treatment.

**About the U.S. Phase II Study with ASC30 for the Treatment of Diabetes**

The Phase II study is a 13-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and
multi-center study to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ASC30 tablets
in participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (7.0% ≤ HbA1c ≤ 10.5% at baseline).
The primary endpoint of the Phase II study is the change from baseline in HbA1c 
at 12 weeks in the treatment group compared with the placebo group. Secondary endpoints
include the change from baseline in body weight at 13 weeks in the treatment group
compared with placebo group. The Phase II study enrolled 100 participants with type
2 diabetes mellitus at multiple sites across the U.S. The participants were randomly
assigned in a ratio of approximately 2:3:3:2 to 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg ASC30 tablets
and matching placebo tablets, respectively. ASC30 was titrated weekly from 1 mg 
to maintenance doses of 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg.

**About Ascletis Pharma Inc.**

Ascletis Pharma Inc. is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on the 
development and commercialization of potential best-in-class and first-in-class 
therapeutics to treat metabolic diseases. Utilizing its proprietary Artificial Intelligence-
assisted Structure-Based Drug Discovery (AISBDD) and Ultra-Long-Acting Platform (
ULAP) technologies as well as Peptide Oral Transport ENhancement Technology (POTENT),
Ascletis has developed multiple drug candidates in-house, including both small molecules
and peptides, such as its lead program, ASC30, a small molecule GLP-1R agonist designed
to be administered once daily orally and once monthly to once quarterly subcutaneously
as a treatment therapy and a maintenance therapy for chronic weight management; 
ASC36, an amylin receptor peptide agonist, ASC35, a once-monthly subcutaneously 
administered GLP-1R/GIPR dual peptide agonist and ASC37, a GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR triple
peptide agonist, ASC39, a potent and amylin-selective oral small molecule amylin
receptor agonist, and ASC30_39 FDC, a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of ASC30 and 
ASC39, for chronic weight management. Ascletis is listed on the Hong Kong Stock 
Exchange (1672.HK).

For more information, please visit [www.ascletis.com](https://www.ascletis.com/).

Contact:

Peter Vozzo
ICR Healthcare443-231-0505 (U.S.)[Peter.vozzo@icrhealthcare.com](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/Peter.vozzo@icrhealthcare.com)

Ascletis Pharma Inc. PR and IR Teams
+86-181-0650-9129 (China)[pr@ascletis.com](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/pr@ascletis.com)
[ir@ascletis.com](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/ir@ascletis.com)

---

  |  This article was produced by Cision PR Newswire, our trusted news partner. The views expressed and the content presented here are solely those of the author and may not fully reflect the opinions of Thailand Business News. |

---

 
**Read the original article :** [Ascletis' Oral Small Molecule GLP-1, ASC30, Demonstrated Placebo-Adjusted HbA1c Reduction of 1.7% at 12 Weeks from Its U.S. Phase II Study in Participants with Diabetes ](http://www.prnasia.com/story/archive/5083118_AE83118_0?rand=184833)
