What Hope Medicine does

Hope Medicine Inc. (HopeMed) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2018 by Professor Rui-Ping Xiao, Dean of Peking University's College of Future Technology, based on decades of translational medicine research. The company develops first-in-class biologics targeting women's health, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, with its lead asset HMI-115 — a humanized monoclonal antibody that non-competitively blocks the prolactin receptor (PRLR) — currently in Phase III clinical development for endometriosis and Phase II for androgenetic alopecia. HMI-115 was licensed globally from Bayer AG in April 2019 (Bayer's first worldwide exclusive out-license to a Chinese biotech), and the MG53 protein therapeutic program for acute myocardial infarction and diabetic complications was licensed from Peking University. The pipeline also includes earlier-stage candidates: a GPCR antagonist for cachexia, a kinase inhibitor for chemotherapy-induced toxicity, and a therapeutic protein for ARDS/sepsis.

The company operates an integrated R&D infrastructure spanning three Chinese sites: a Shanghai headquarters in Pudong New Area, a 3,000 square-meter Nanjing Biological R&D Center in Jiangbei New Area (Phase 1 RMB 70M + Phase 2 RMB 35M, opened October 2021), and a Beijing office co-located with Peking University for collaborative research through the PKU-HopeMed Joint Molecular Medicine Innovation Laboratory (established June 2020). Its proprietary non-human primate research platform — the first AAALAC-certified NHP center at a Chinese university, housing nearly 200 primates — includes the world's only rhesus monkey functional genomics database. Global clinical operations run multi-regional trials across the US, Poland, Australia, and China through Parexel (global CRO) and dMed-Clinipace (APAC CRO), with biologics manufacturing supported by WuXi Biologics and Lonza Guangzhou.

Hope Medicine is pre-revenue with no commercialized products. Near-term revenue derives from milestone payments under the Bayer license agreement (e.g., a €1M milestone from BioInvent triggered by Phase III initiation in March 2026) and tiered royalties on future commercialization. End-customer revenue, contingent on regulatory approval, will flow through standard pharmaceutical supply chains — hospitals, specialty clinics, and pharmacies — addressing approximately 190 million endometriosis patients globally and the androgenetic alopecia population (up to 70% of men, 40% of women). The company has raised approximately $93.5M across Series A ($10M, 2019), Series B ($56M, 2021), and Series B+ (~RMB 200M, 2024), with backing from Trustbridge Partners, Qiming Venture Partners, Grand Flight Investment, HighLight Capital, Sinovation Ventures, Xi Venture Capital, and VMS Group.

Name

Hope Medicine

Legal name

Hope Medicine Inc.

Website

https://hopemedinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hope Medicine is a clinical-stage Chinese biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class monoclonal antibody HMI-115 for endometriosis and androgenetic alopecia, plus MG53 protein therapeutics for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, targeting underserved patient populations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical-stage Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Endocrinology & Reproductive Health Pharmaceuticals (incl. Women’s Health) (HLAIAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Women’s Health & Reproductive Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAN)

Keywords

• Monoclonal antibody therapeutics
• Women's health biopharmaceuticals
• Endometriosis treatment drugs
• Androgenetic alopecia therapy
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanjing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Commercialization: Pre-revenue clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The company is developing HMI-115 (prolactin receptor antibody for endometriosis and androgenetic alopecia) and MG53-based therapeutics for cardiovascular/metabolic diseases. Revenue will be generated through global commercialization of approved biopharmaceutical products following successful clinical development and regulatory approvals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hope Medicine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class monoclonal antibody and protein therapeutics for women's health and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases. Its lead asset, HMI-115, is a human monoclonal antibody targeting the prolactin receptor in Phase III development for endometriosis-associated pain and Phase II for androgenetic alopecia. The company also develops MG53-based protein therapeutics for acute myocardial infarction and diabetic complications, with a broader pipeline spanning cachexia, chemotherapy toxicity, and ARDS/sepsis indications.

Product overview

Hope Medicine is a science-driven clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a diversified pipeline focused on women's health, endocrine, and cardiovascular diseases. The company's core product is HMI-115, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting the prolactin receptor for treating endometriosis and androgenetic alopecia. The pipeline includes MG53, a protein therapeutic for acute myocardial infarction and diabetic complications, as well as earlier-stage candidates such as a GPCR antagonist for cachexia, a kinase inhibitor for chemotherapy toxicity, and a therapeutic protein for ARDS/sepsis. The company operates integrated R&D platforms spanning discovery research, clinical development, pharmaceutical R&D, and quality systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HMI-115 HMI-115 is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody that non-competitively blocks prolactin receptor (PRL-R)-mediated signal transduction. It is being developed as a non-hormonal therapy for moderate-to-severe endometriosis-associated pain and for androgenetic alopecia in men and women. The therapy provides significant pain reduction without hypoestrogenic side effects and preserves fertility and normal menstrual cycles.
• MG53 (MG53-S255A Protein Therapeutic) MG53 S255A is a novel mutant protein therapeutic that preserves cardioprotective and membrane repair functions while eliminating E3 ligase activity that causes insulin resistance. It targets acute myocardial infarction and diabetic complications including diabetic foot conditions. Preclinical studies have shown promising therapeutic effects.
• GPCR Antagonist (Cachexia) A GPCR antagonist in development for the treatment of cachexia (wasting syndrome), addressing muscle and weight loss in patients with chronic diseases such as cancer and COPD.
• Kinase Inhibitor (Chemotherapy Toxicity) A kinase inhibitor in development for reducing chemotherapy-induced toxicity, aimed at mitigating adverse effects of cancer treatments while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.
• Therapeutic Protein (ARDS/Sepsis) A therapeutic protein candidate in development for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis, targeting life-threatening inflammatory conditions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and support.

• Bayer AGcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 8 April 2019Global exclusive license agreement signed in April 2019 for development and commercialization of human monoclonal antibody targeting prolactin receptor (HMI-115). Potential indications include male and female pattern hair loss, endometriosis, and other chronic diseases. Bayer receives upfront payment, development/commercialization milestones, and tiered royalties. This was Bayer's first time licensing global exclusive rights to a Chinese biotech company.
• Peking UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration based on Professor Rui-Ping Xiao's laboratory at Institute of Molecular Medicine. Established北大--和其瑞分子医学协同创新实验室 (Peking-HopeMed Joint Innovation Laboratory) in June 2020. Company licensed MG53 technology from Peking University. PKU provides access to non-human primate research center (first AAALAC-certified university facility in China) and rhesus monkey functional genomics database.
• WuXi BiologicsmajorTechnology or IntegrationContract manufacturing organization (CMO) for HMI-115 drug product and placebo manufacturing to support global Phase I/II multi-regional clinical trials (MRCT).
• Lonza GuangzhoumajorTechnology or IntegrationContract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) supporting HMI-115 drug substance process tech transfer and clinical supply for Phase 1/2 global MRCT.
• ParexelmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGlobal clinical research organization (CRO) partnership to support global clinical studies of HMI-115 across international multi-center trials.
• dMed-ClinipacemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClinical development partnership for HMI-115 in Asia Pacific region, supporting regional clinical trial operations and regulatory submissions.
• Nanjing Jiangbei New AreasupportOthersGovernment support enabling company registration and establishment in Jiangbei New Area. The Nanjing Biological R&D Center was officially launched in the Nanjing Bio-tech and Pharmaceutical Valley of Jiangbei New Area in October 2021.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AbbVie: Global pharmaceutical incumbent marketing Orilissa (elagolix), the first FDA-approved oral GnRH antagonist for endometriosis pain. AbbVie competes in the exact therapeutic area where Hope Medicine's HMI-115 is positioned, though with a hormonal mechanism and longer real-world track record.
• Pfizer (with Myovant Sciences): Pfizer partnered with Myovant to commercialize Myfembree (relugolix combination) for endometriosis-associated pain. Myfembree is a direct therapeutic competitor to HMI-115, sharing the target indication though via a different mechanism.
• Organon & Co. Women's health-focused pharmaceutical company spun out from Merck, with a portfolio spanning endometriosis, contraception, fertility, and menopause therapies. Competes broadly with Hope Medicine in women's health commercial channels and physician relationships.
• Roivant Sciences: Vant-company incubator whose subsidiary Myovant commercialized Relugolix for endometriosis. Operates a similar model of acquiring or developing clinical-stage assets with strong IP positions across multiple therapeutic areas, comparable to Hope Medicine's licensed-asset strategy.

Direct peers

• Myovant Sciences: Clinical-stage women's health biotech (now part of Sumitomo Pharma) that developed relugolix, a GnRH antagonist approved for endometriosis and other indications. Most directly comparable specialty women's health biotech to Hope Medicine in terms of therapeutic focus and clinical development stage.

Emerging players

• BioInvent International: Swedish biotech whose n-CoDeR phage display technology was used to discover the original PRL receptor antibody that became HMI-115. BioInvent receives milestone payments from Hope Medicine and remains a technological comparator and licensor relationship.
• ObsEva: Clinical-stage Swiss biotech previously focused on women's health indications including endometriosis (linzagolix). Representative of the wave of European clinical-stage biotechs developing novel endometriosis therapies competing in the same space as HMI-115.
• Obsidian Therapeutics: Emerging biotech developing regulated biologics with novel mechanisms in therapeutic areas adjacent to Hope Medicine's pipeline. Representative of the broader tier of clinical-stage innovators pursuing differentiated biologic modalities in women's health and endocrine disease.

Regional players

• Kissei Pharmaceutical: Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company with established women's health and endometriosis franchises (e.g., GnRH agonist products). Comparable as a regional player developing and commercializing women's health therapeutics in Asia.
• Theramex: UK-based specialty pharma focused exclusively on women's health, including endometriosis treatments. Comparable as a women's-health-focused commercial entity that would be a logical commercialization partner or competitor in select geographies for HMI-115.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors11 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hope Medicine