Portfolio News
2026/03/02
QL Biopharm Announces Series C Financing of $72M+ to Accelerate Development of Clinical Pipeline
BEIJING, China, March 1, 2026 - Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical Co, Ltd (QL Biopharm) announced today that it secured series C financing of over $72M. OrbiMed led the round, with additional participation from Qiming Venture Partners, 5Y Capital, Apricot Capital, and Huagai Capital. Previous investors TF Capital, Lanchi Ventures, and Taiyu Investment continued participation. Haoyue Capital served as advisor for the financing. QL Biopharm will use the series C capital to increase R&D investment, accelerate advancement of its clinical stage pipeline, and expand its overall footprint in chronic metabolic diseases.
QL Biopharm’s R&D strategy centers on development of ultra-long-acting peptides, oral peptide formulations, and multi-target strategies to generate novel and differentiated therapies for metabolic diseases. Its frontrunner clinical program, zovaglutide injection (ZT002), is a monthly-dosed GLP-1 peptide, and is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 trial (HORIZON-1) in China for weight loss. In addition to zovaglutide, QL Biopharm is pursuing an innovative GLP-1 RA, oral peptide program (ZT006) currently in a phase 2 obesity trial in China and a GLP-1/FGF21 dual agonist injection (ZT003) in phase 1 testing in Australia – intended for evaluation in MASH and severe hypertriglyceridemia.
Dr. Xujia Zhang, founder and CEO of QL Biopharm, stated, “We are highly grateful to both new and existing investors for their recognition and support, thereby providing the foundation for forward progress and additional innovation by the company. We will continue to leverage our core advantages, capabilities, and platforms to accelerate the prosecution of our pipeline. We are committed to developing more accessible, convenient, and effective treatment options for patients with chronic metabolic diseases – all possible through the support and investment by our highly-valued shareholders.”
Dr. Dasong Wang, Partner and Senior Managing Director of lead investor OrbiMed, stated, “We are optimistic about the company's global development prospects in the field of chronic metabolic diseases. Clinical data from core programs such as zovaglutide further validates its R&D strength and product potential. We look forward to collaborating with QL Biopharm to accelerate the clinical development and globalization of its core pipeline, propelling the company to become a globally leading innovative pharmaceutical company in the field of metabolic diseases.”
Qiming Venture Partners commented, “We recognize the company's forward-looking layout and technological capabilities in the fields of long-acting monthly and oral formulations, and further have full confidence in the team's R&D capabilities and execution efficiency. The company's pipeline programs possess clearly-differentiated competitive advantages and global expansion potential. We expect the company to continue advancing the clinical development and globalization of its core pipeline, growing into an innovative pharmaceutical company with global influence.”
Liu Kai, Partner at 5Y Capital, stated, “In the historically massive GLP-1 market, the true long-term winners will emerge from companies with fundamental technological barriers and continuous product iteration capabilities. QL Biopharm’s unique E. coli production platform has established clear advantages in terms of production capacity, cost, and quality control. Meanwhile, the company's globally-leading long-acting monthly formulation programs are expected to carve out new niches in the huge market through better compliance. More importantly, the company's continuous pipeline upgrades and new project incubation around its core technology platforms demonstrate strong project initiation capabilities and product evolution logic. We are firmly optimistic about the company's ability to create long-term value in the metabolic disorders field and expect it to continue leading innovation.”
Dr. Qiang Jing, Managing Partner of Apricot Capital, commented, “Metabolic drugs centered on GLP-1 represent one of the biggest opportunities in the history of the pharmaceutical industry. Even with the approval of several blockbuster drugs, there remains unmet medical need and areas for optimization, representing significant investment opportunities. QL Biopharm possesses strong technological know-how and a clear strategic layout, especially in the competitive landscape of ultra-long-acting weight loss drugs, where it holds a leading global position. Apricot Capital has long focused on this field, is optimistic about the professional background and execution capabilities of the QL Biopharm team, and is willing to work hand-in-hand with QL Biopharm and its new and existing shareholders to become a leading company in the next generation of weight loss and metabolic drugs.”
Dr. Yang Qian of Huagai Capital Healthcare Fund stated, “Huagai Capital has a long-term positive outlook on the broad development prospects of GLP-1 and metabolic diseases. The core team at QL Biopharm has deep expertise and rich experience in peptide drug development, clinical development, and industrialization. Leveraging its proprietary long-acting peptide technology platform, the company has built a comprehensive and differentiated R&D pipeline. Its core program, a once-monthly GLP-1 innovative peptide, has entered phase 3 clinical trials, and has the potential to offer significant advantages in efficacy and patient compliance. Simultaneously, the company is developing cutting-edge products such as the GLP-1/FGF21 dual-target agonist, GLP-1/amylin long-acting dual-target agonist, and oral GLP-1 peptides, comprehensively covering unmet clinical needs in areas such as obesity, T2D, and metabolic disorders. The semaglutide biosimilar [ZT001] is already partnered with a well-known industry player and is about to be launched, forming a complete strategy of synergistic development of innovative drugs and biosimilars including partnering. This investment represents a key strategic move by Huagai Capital in the field of chronic disease innovation and long-acting peptide drugs. Moving forward, we will fully leverage our industrial ecosystem resources to support QL Biopharm in accelerating its clinical trials and commercialization, working together to benefit patients with more convenient, safe, and efficient innovative therapies.”
Dr. Ji Tianrong, Founder & General Manager of Taiyu Investment, stated, “QL Biopharm possesses a proprietary E. coli production and additional internal technology platforms, demonstrating excellent independent drug development capabilities. Its globally-leading GLP-1 program has entered a phase 3 clinical trial after having shown significant efficacy and good safety in prior phase 1 and 2 studies. As an existing shareholder, Taiyu Investment continues to invest in this series C round, supporting the company’s new drug development efforts.”
Lanchi Ventures offered comments: “QL Biopharm consistently adheres to differentiated innovation, pursuing a multi-pronged approach including monthly formulations, oral medications, and long-acting multi-target drugs. In particular, its globally-leading monthly GLP-1 program possesses the unique advantage of a long dosing cycle and its excellent phase 2 clinical data further demonstrates the molecule's unique potential compliance advantage. We anticipate that QL Biopharm will propel this program forward successfully, establishing it as a significant player in the global weight management field.”
Dr. Kang Zisheng, Managing Director of Haoyue Capital, stated, “We are honored to assist the QL Biopharm team in completing this financing. In the existing highly competitive GLP-1 market, the company has forged a unique path of innovation. The company's monthly formulation pipeline, oral pipeline, and multi-target pipeline all demonstrate excellent global competitiveness. QL Biopharm’s own manufacturing and production facilities also lay a solid foundation for future commercialization. Furthermore, the team has demonstrated impressive execution and professionalism. We believe that with continued support, QL Biopharm will further solidify its industry position and be poised to unleash enormous potential in the near future.”
