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Medicilon Congratulates : MindRank AI-Developed Oral GLP-1 MDR-001 Secures Up to RMB 1.75 Billion Exclusive Commercialization Deal with Sunshine Mandi

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September 28 — MindRank AI Ltd. (“MindRank”) today announced that it has entered into a strategic commercialization agreement with Zhejiang Sunshine Mandi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Sunshine Mandi”) and Zhejiang Wansheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Wansheng”), both subsidiaries of 3SBio Inc. (01530.HK) group, for MDR-001, an AI-designed oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for obesity and overweight. The collaboration covers Greater China, with a total potential transaction value of up to RMB 1.75 billion (USD 260 million).

MindRank AI-Developed Oral GLP-1 MDR-001 Secures Up to RMB 1.75 Billion Exclusive Commercialization Deal with Sunshine Mandi

As MindRank’s strategic partner, Medicilon provided API process development and formulation R&D services for MDR-001 to support its IND application. The support enabled the successful clinical trial approval and marked a milestone, AI-designed oral GLP-1 drug as it enters a critical phase of commercialization preparation.

Strong Alliance: RMB 1.75B Licensing Deal Accelerates Industrialization of MindRank’s MDR-001

Under the agreement, Sunshine Mandi and Wansheng will leverage their mature commercial capabilities to provide exclusive commercialization services for MDR-001 across all channels following regulatory approval and launch. MindRank will remain the Marketing Authorization Holder and all rights in the product’s intellectual property, and will continue to advance clinical development, registration, manufacturing, and supply of the product. MindRank will receive RMB 150 million upfront and milestone payments tied to clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization. Upon achievement of agreed conditions, MindRank will be eligible for up to RMB 1.6 billion in additional milestone payments, bringing the total potential deal value to RMB 1.75 billion.

MindRank and Sunshine Mandi
The collaboration combines MindRank’s AI-driven discovery and clinical development capabilities with Sunshine Mandi’s commercial expertise. It aligns clinical progression with launch preparation at an earlier stage, laying the groundwork for MDR-001’s post-approval commercialization.

Cutting-edge Innovation: Balanced Efficacy & R&D Efficiency, MDR-001 Validates MindRank’s AI Drug Discovery Strength

MDR-001 is discovered and developed using MindRank’s proprietary AI-native R&D engine, Molecule Arts Platform (MAP), developed for obesity and related metabolic disorders. In its phase IIb trial, mean body weight reductions after 24 weeks ranged from 8.2% to 10.3% in MDR-001 cohorts; between 34.5% and 48.1% achieved at least 10% weight loss. Only 0.8% of participants discontinued treatment due to adverse events, with improvements observed in several metabolic markers. Further studies are required to fully characterize MDR-001’s efficacy and safety profile.
Marked by exceptional R&D efficiency: MindRank identified the preclinical candidate (PCC) for MDR-001 within 8 months from project initiation, synthesizing roughly 80 small molecules during this phase. The IND clearance was secured in 19 months, and the program advanced to Phase III trials in 4.5 years. Total investment for the asset from project initiation to Phase III stands at approximately USD 23 million. This program clearly demonstrates the order-of-magnitude advantages of MindRank’s MAP platform over conventional drug discovery in speed and cost, setting a benchmark for efficient global first-in-class drug development.

Expert Enablement: Medicilon’s One-Stop Services Accelerate Preclinical R&D of GLP-1 Drugs

As AI drug discovery moves beyond proof-of-concept, the industry sees rising demand for compliant, standardized and high-efficiency preclinical CRO services. Medicilon has 92,000 m² laboratories,and hold AAALAC accreditation, nine NMPA GLP certifications, OECD GLP compliance, FDA GLP alignment, CNAS accreditation and BSL-2/ABSL-2 lab qualifications. The integrated platform streamlines drug development from target identification through IND submission to meet global regulatory requirements.
Leveraging its mature technical infrastructure, standardized quality system and extensive project track record, Medicilon has supported 22 GLP‑1 candidates to enter clinical trials, among which 7 have completed outbound BD licensing deals. This reflects Medicilon’s value in empowering global development of novel therapeutics.

Medicilon congratulates MindRank and Sunshine Mandi on closing the exclusive commercialization partnership for MDR-001. We look forward to MDR-001’s upcoming approval and launch, bringing new treatment options for adults living with obesity, overweight and metabolic diseases. Moving forward, Medicilon will continue upgrading its one-stop preclinical CRO services for AI-originated new drugs. We aim to translate more AI-designed first-in-class molecules into clinical candidates and marketed products, supporting high-quality growth of the global biopharma sector.

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