AI Weight-Loss Drug Enters Phase 3

MindRank starts phase 3 trials in China of its AI-based weight-loss medication, a first in the country.

MindRank, a BioTech startup based in Hangzhou, initiated phase 3 clinical trials of MDR-001, an AI-designed weight-loss drug, in China, a major milestone for the country's biotech industry.

The company indicated that MDR-001 is the first AI-assisted Category 1 new drug in China to complete Phase 3 trials, thus highlighting the increasing significance of artificial intelligence in BioTech research and drug development. MindRank expects to obtain regulatory acceptance by the second half of 2028 and commercially launch in the year 2029.

According to founder and CEO Niu Zhangming, the development of the drug took the company about four and a half years, a relatively short period as compared to the standard seven to 10 years it is expected to take on a BioTech pipeline. He included that the AI-based model allowed the company to save the costs of research and development by at least 60 percent.

MindRank uses AI to refine drug candidates and shortlist them for scientists making critical decisions because it enhances the safety and efficacy of their work, a model that is increasingly popular in the global BioTech space.

The MDR-001 advancement also underscores a system-wide change in the trends of the international BioTech sector towards AI-based drug discovery. Similar strategies are being developed by other firms and include Insilico Medicine and Generate:Biomedicines, which are now making it tougher to compete in the fast-changing BioTech world.