Hong Kong – – October 02, 2026 -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672) presented preclinical data showing its ASC36_35FDC injectable combination drove a 24.8% body-weight reduction in a diet-induced obesity rat model on Day 14, outperforming two competitor co-formulations tested under identical dosing conditions.
The data were unveiled in a short oral discussion at the 62nd European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting, held September 28–October 2, 2026, in Milan, Italy.
ASC36_35FDC outpaces eloralintide/tirzepatide and MET-233i/tirzepatide combinations
Under a dosing regimen of 5 nmol/kg_8 nmol/kg administered once every two days for seven total doses, the eloralintide/tirzepatide co-formulation produced a 12.5% weight reduction and MET-233i/tirzepatide produced 16.8%, versus 24.8% for ASC36_35FDC. That translates to a 98% and 47% greater relative reduction in body weight against the two comparators, respectively. Cumulative food intake was also lower in animals receiving ASC36_35FDC.
Combination therapy shows synergy over single-agent dosing in two animal models
In both the diet-induced obesity rat model and a non-human primate model, ASC36_35FDC produced greater reductions in body weight and food intake than ASC35 monotherapy alone, indicating a potential synergistic effect between the amylin receptor agonist ASC36 and the GLP-1R/GIPR dual agonist ASC35.
Stability testing finds no fibrotic aggregation, unlike cagrilintide
Under simulated storage conditions of 200 rpm at 25°C for 168 hours, ASC36_35FDC showed no fibril-induced aggregation across varying concentrations, vehicles, and pH levels. Cagrilintide, tested under the same conditions, exhibited substantial fibrotic aggregation — a finding Ascletis says supports the candidate's suitability for large-scale manufacturing.
Pharmacokinetic data support once-monthly to once-quarterly subcutaneous dosing
In non-human primates, ASC36 and ASC35 showed half-lives of 781 hours (approximately 33 days) and 721 hours (approximately 30 days), respectively, when combined in ASC36_35FDC. The pharmacokinetic profile matched that of each compound administered separately, supporting the company's plan for once-monthly dosing in humans with potential for once-quarterly administration. Ascletis has also developed a once-weekly oral tablet formulation of ASC36_35FDC.
ASC36_35FDC was developed using Ascletis' internal Artificial Intelligence-assisted Structure-Based Drug Discovery and Ultra-Long-Acting Platform technologies.