Chinese apoptosis expert Ascentage aims for US IPO

The Chinese biopharma startup Ascentage Pharma, which focuses on developing apoptosis -targeted small-molecule therapeutics, is likely to be the next Chinese target in the US market as soon as in this year, notes The Pharma Letter’s correspondent Wang Fangqing.

Such an ambitious plan certainly requires some confidence, which, for Ascentage, comes from its expertise in drug discovery and development.

The Taizhou, Jiangsu province-based company received 500 million renminbi ($72.6 million) from its series B financing in January led by the state-backed State Development & Investment Corp Fund Management. The investors were attracted to Ascentage’s protein-protein interaction drug discovery technology platform, which functions as a powerful engine that generates small molecules addressing the “undruggable” targets.