# Ascletis Reinforces Its Differentiated Obesity Portfolio at American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2026 Scientific Sessions, Showcasing ASC30 Clinical Data and Exciting Preclinical Findings from ASC37 and ASC39

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- Published: 2026-06-08T07:10:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

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HONG KONG, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672, "Ascletis")
announces the presentation of three key studies at the American Diabetes Association(
ADA) 2026 Scientific Sessions (taking place June 5-8, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana),
highlighting its differentiated portfolio in obesity treatment, including small-
molecule candidates, a peptide therapeutic, and an oral peptide delivery-enhancing
technology. The data attracted considerable interest from leading experts at the
meeting and further underscored Ascletis’ innovation capabilities in metabolic disease
therapeutics.

**Key Findings**

**1. Potent Oral Amylin Receptor Agonist: ASC39**

_In vitro_ studies demonstrated that ASC39 exhibited selectivity for the human amylin
type 1 receptor (hAMY1R) comparable to that of eloralintide, with substantially 
greater affinity for the amylin receptor than for the human calcitonin receptor (
hCTR). This receptor selectivity may help minimize calcitonin receptor-mediated 
central adverse effects, such as nausea and excessive appetite suppression.

In a diet-induced obesity (DIO) rat model, ASC39 was administered orally once daily
at doses of 0.2 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, and 5 mg/kg. A clear dose-dependent reduction in
body weight was observed. At Day 11, animals receiving 5 mg/kg ASC39 achieved a 
9.9% reduction in body weight from baseline, compared with a 2.8% reduction in the
placebo group (_p_ < 0.01).

In a separate head-to-head DIO rat study, ASC39 (5 mg/kg, oral, once daily) was 
compared with eloralintide (3 nmol/kg, subcutaneous injection, once every three 
days). Both agents induced body weight reductions beginning on Day 2 following treatment
initiation. By Day 7, body weight had decreased by 6.0% (_p_ < 0.0001) and 5.0% (
_p_ < 0.0001) from baseline in the ASC39 group and eloralintide group, respectively,
while body weight increased by 0.6% in the placebo group.

**Key Takeaway**

These findings support ASC39 as a highly selective and potent oral small-molecule
amylin receptor agonist with the potential to advance as a development candidate
for obesity treatment.

**2. Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist: ASC30**

ASC30 is an oral, fully biased small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (
GLP-1R) agonist with a chemical scaffold similar to that of orforglipron (OFG). 
_In vitro _studies demonstrated that ASC30 was approximately 2- to 3-fold more potent
than OFG. In non-human primates (NHPs), ASC30 administered at 1.5 mg/kg stimulated
statistically significant and substantially greater insulin secretion than OFG administered
at 6 mg/kg. In an NHP study, ASC30 achieved approximately 5-fold higher oral exposure
than OFG. In participants with obesity, ASC30 showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics
across the 2 mg to 60 mg dose range, with a peak-to-trough ratio of below 2:1. In
a 4-week Phase I study, ASC30 demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability across
all doses (20 mg, 40 mg, and 60 mg), with no hepatic safety signals or elevations
in alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), or total bilirubin(
TBL).

In a Phase II study (n=125), ASC30 once-daily tablets topline results showed statistically
significant and clinically meaningful dose-dependent placebo-adjusted mean body 
weight reductions with no observed plateau for weight loss. Placebo-adjusted body
weight reductions at Week 13 were 5.4%, 7.0%, and 7.7% for the 20 mg, 40 mg, and
60 mg maintenance doses, respectively. Mean baseline body weight was 107.3 kg, and
body mass index (BMI) was 38.6 kg/m². From a safety perspective, ASC30 titrated 
weekly to the target dose demonstrated approximately one-half the rate of vomiting
observed with OFG titrated weekly. The gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability of ASC30
titrated weekly was comparable to that reported for OFG titrated every four weeks
in the Phase III ATTAIN-1 study. In the ASC30 Phase II study, all GI adverse events(
AEs) were grade 1 (mild) and grade 2 (moderate) in severity, and there were no grade
3 (severe) or above GI AEs. There were no drug-related AEs of grade 3 (severe) or
higher. No drug-related serious AEs (SAEs). The treatment discontinuation rates 
due to AEs were 7.3%, 7.5%, and 0.0% in the 20 mg, 40 mg, and 60 mg groups, respectively,
versus 0.0% with placebo. No hepatic safety signal was observed, and there were 
no elevations of ALT, AST, or TBL. In addition, there were no abnormal findings 
in laboratory tests, vital signs, ECGs (electrocardiograms, including QTc intervals),
and physical exams.

**Key Takeaway**

ASC30 oral tablets showed dose-dependent weight loss with a favorable GI tolerability
profile compared with OFG, supporting its potential as a best-in-class oral GLP-
1R agonist. Global Phase III trials for obesity are expected to be initiated by 
the end of the third quarter of 2026. The Phase III program will comprise two 72-
week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in participants with obesity
or overweight, with or without type 2 diabetes, evaluating once-daily oral ASC30
at maintenance doses of 20 mg, 40 mg, and 60 mg, with dose titration periods of 
up to 20 weeks.

**3. Oral GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR Triple Agonist Peptide: ASC37**

ASC37 is an oral GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR triple agonist peptide developed using Ascletis’
proprietary Peptide Oral Transport ENhancement Technology (POTENT). By impeding 
enzymatic degradation and increasing GI permeability, POTENT is able to increase
the oral bioavailability of peptides from <1% to approximately 3%–5%. In NHPs, the
absolute oral bioavailability of semaglutide in Ascletis’ POTENT formulation is 
3-fold of that of semaglutide in its commercial SNAC (salcaprozate sodium) formulation;
and the absolute oral bioavailability of tirzepatide in Ascletis’ POTENT formulation
is 9-fold of that of tirzepatide in the SNAC formulation.

Utilizing the POTENT platform, ASC37 oral tablets achieved an average absolute oral
bioavailability of 4.2%, approximately 30- and 60-fold higher than tirzepatide and
retatrutide in the SNAC formulation, respectively, in head-to-head NHP studies. 
In addition, in NHP studies, ASC37 oral tablets exhibited an average observed half-
life of approximately 56 hours, supporting once-daily or potentially less frequent
oral dosing.

**Key Takeaway**

ASC37 is an oral GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR triple agonist peptide with favorable oral bioavailability
and an extended half-life, highlighting its strong potential for clinical development
in obesity and metabolic diseases.

**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, an eloralintide-like potent and amylin-selective oral small
molecule amylin receptor agonist, and ASC30_39 FDC, a fixed-dose combination (FDC)
of ASC30 (GLP-1RA) and ASC39 (amylin RA), 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)

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