Chinese drug developer Deruizhiyao, which uses AI for drug discovery, has raised US$52 million in a series B round from unnamed renminbi and US dollar funds.

The company said it will use the proceeds to improve its AI drug discovery engine, the Molecule Arts Platform, including its multi-agent collaboration system and clinical data capabilities.

The funding will also support phase III trials and commercialization of its oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) small-molecule drug candidate, MDR-001.

Deruizhiyao said MDR-001 entered phase III clinical trials in China at the end of 2025 and had completed recruitment of 760 participants across nearly 50 partner clinical centers.

A pivotal phase III trial was designed to enroll about 750 participants with overweight or obesity and assess 52-week efficacy and safety.

China already has precedent for oral GLP-1 therapies for type 2 diabetes, with oral semaglutide available.

Chinese companies also accounted for 32% of global biotech licensing deal value in Q1 2025, according to Jefferies figures.

🔗 Source: 36Kr