What Sciwind Biosciences does

Sciwind Biosciences (杭州先为达生物科技股份有限公司) is a commercial-stage Chinese biopharmaceutical company founded in 2017 in Hangzhou, focused on developing innovative therapies for metabolic diseases, with particular emphasis on weight management. Its lead asset, ecnoglutide injection (brand names 先维盈®/先颐达®), became the world's first approved cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist after receiving NMPA approval in January 2026 for type 2 diabetes and March 2026 for chronic weight management, followed by commercial launch in May 2026. Phase 3 data demonstrated 15.4% mean body weight reduction at 48 weeks, 2.43% HbA1c reduction, and only 0.6% discontinuation due to gastrointestinal adverse events, with a head-to-head Phase 2 trial showing 35% greater weight loss than semaglutide. The underlying technology is the SciwindCore™ platform, comprising three proprietary systems: BiasVantage™ for biased agonist discovery (selective cAMP pathway activation with minimized β-arrestin recruitment), OralVantage™ for oral peptide delivery, and HaleVantage™ for half-life extension via fatty acid modification and antibody-peptide conjugation. The pipeline includes 14+ assets spanning oral ecnoglutide (XW004), oral small molecule GLP-1 (XW014), amylin receptor agonists (XW015/XW016), a Sanofi-licensed GIP analog (XW017), a monthly injection (XW019), and a muscle-preserving peptide (XW020), supported by 110+ patents/patent applications and a 120+ person R&D team.

Sciwind operates a hybrid licensing-plus-supply business model. The company serves as the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) responsible for R&D, registration, manufacturing, and supply, while commercialization is executed by partners: Pfizer for Mainland China (up to $495M deal value), Verdiva Bio for global rights excluding Greater China and Korea (~$70M upfront plus up to $2.4B in milestones plus tiered royalties), and HK inno.N for South Korea (up to $56M plus high double-digit royalties). Revenue is generated through licensing upfronts, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, product supply to commercial partners, and eventually royalties on partner-led sales. The customer base is essentially three multinational pharmaceutical partners, which provides distribution reach but creates concentration risk. Operations span China (Hangzhou HQ, Beijing R&D, Shanghai branch), the United States (San Ramon, CA subsidiary established 2020 for overseas clinical and BD), and Australia (Collingwood subsidiary established 2019 for international clinical development), enabling global clinical execution while retaining manufacturing control in China.

Name

Sciwind Biosciences

Legal name

杭州先为达生物科技股份有限公司

Website

https://sciwind.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sciwind Biosciences is a Hangzhou-based commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies for metabolic diseases, with its approved lead product ecnoglutide serving obesity and type 2 diabetes patients via global licensing partnerships with Pfizer, Verdiva Bio, and HK inno.N.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metabolic Disease Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Endocrinology & Metabolic Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Metabolic disease therapeutics
• GLP-1 receptor agonists
• Weight management drugs
• Peptide drug development
• Type 2 diabetes treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Hangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensing and milestone payments: Sciwind receives upfront payments, regulatory milestones, and sales milestones from commercialization partners. For the Pfizer China deal, Sciwind is eligible to receive up to $495 million in upfront, regulatory and sales milestone payments. For the Verdiva Bio global deal, Sciwind receives approximately $70 million in signing payments and is eligible for up to $2.4 billion in development, registration and commercial milestones plus tiered sales royalties.
2. Product sales: As the Marketing Authorization Holder, Sciwind manufactures and supplies ecnoglutide injection to its commercial partners (Pfizer in China), generating revenue from product supply.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sciwind Biosciences is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and manufactures innovative peptide and small molecule therapies for metabolic diseases, primarily obesity and type 2 diabetes. Its core marketed product is Ecnoglutide Injection (XW003), the world's first approved cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist, sold in China under the brand names Xianyida (先颐达) for type 2 diabetes and Xianweiying (先维盈) for chronic weight management. The company also operates a pipeline of injectable, oral peptide, oral small molecule, amylin, GIP, and complementary mechanism candidates.

Product overview

Sciwind Biosciences is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for metabolic diseases, particularly weight management. The company's core product is Ecnoglutide Injection (先维盈®/先颐达®), the world's first approved cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist, which received NMPA approval in January 2026 for type 2 diabetes and March 2026 for weight management. The product portfolio includes injectable, oral peptide, and oral small molecule GLP-1 formulations (XW004, XW014), amylin-based therapies (XW015, XW016), a GIP analog (XW017), next-generation monthly injection (XW019), muscle-preserving weight loss therapy (XW020), and an interferon-based antiviral (XW001). The company operates three technology platforms: BiasVantage™ (biased agonist discovery), OralVantage™ (oral peptide delivery), and HaleVantage™ (half-life extension).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 先维盈®: Brand name for ecnoglutide injection for chronic weight management in adults with overweight or obesity.
• 先颐达®
• SciwindCore™
• BiasVantage™
• OralVantage™
• HaleVantage™

Products and services

• Ecnoglutide Injection (先维盈/先颐达, Ecnoglutide, XW003) World's first approved cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist, a once-weekly subcutaneous injection for adult type 2 diabetes blood glucose control and chronic weight management in adults with overweight or obesity. Demonstrated 15.4% mean body weight reduction at 48 weeks and 2.43% HbA1c reduction in Phase 3 trials.
• XW004 (Oral Ecnoglutide) Once-weekly oral peptide formulation of ecnoglutide with 3-5x higher oral bioavailability than existing oral GLP-1 therapies; in clinical development for overweight/obesity.
• XW014 (Oral Small Molecule GLP-1 RA) Oral small molecule cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist in Phase I clinical trials offering manufacturing scalability, cost-effectiveness advantages, and potential for fixed-dose combination with other oral drugs.
• XW015 (Amylin Injection) Long-acting injectable amylin receptor agonist in preclinical/IND stage designed to enhance satiety and support sustained weight loss with potentially milder gastrointestinal side effects compared to GLP-1 monotherapy.
• XW016 (Amylin Oral) Oral amylin peptide analog (among the world's first) leveraging proprietary OralVantage delivery technology and optimized fatty acid modification for high oral bioavailability and combination formulation feasibility.
• XW017 (GIP Analog) Long-acting GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptor agonist with optimized biological activity and in vivo stability, intended for combination therapy with ecnoglutide for synergistic metabolic effects.
• XW019 (Monthly Injection) Monthly-administration biologic injection in early research stage targeting multiple complementary mechanisms to enhance metabolic balance and sustained weight reduction with improved patient convenience.
• XW020 (Muscle-Preserving Injection) Long-acting injectable peptide with dual weight loss and muscle-preservation effects, addressing the muscle-loss limitation of existing weight loss therapies.
• XW001 (IL-29 / Interferon Lambda) Human interleukin-29 (IL-29) analog (interferon lambda, IFNλ) designed for respiratory virus infection treatment including RSV, influenza, and other respiratory infections with high unmet clinical needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15.4% average body weight reduction at 48 weeks (15.1% placebo-adjusted) in Phase 3 SLIMMER trial with 92.8% of patients achieving ≥5% weight loss
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Pfizer ChinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 February 2026Strategic commercialization collaboration granting Pfizer exclusive commercialization rights for ecnoglutide injection in Mainland China. Sciwind remains Marketing Authorization Holder responsible for R&D, registration, manufacturing and supply. Deal valued up to $495 million including upfront, regulatory and sales milestones.
• Verdiva Bio LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 January 2025Global development and commercialization licensing agreement for metabolic disease product portfolio including oral ecnoglutide (XW004) and amylin receptor agonists, excluding Greater China and Korea. Deal includes near $70 million signing payment and up to $2.4 billion in potential development, registration and commercial milestones plus tiered sales royalties.
• HK inno.N CorporationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 May 2024Licensing agreement granting HK inno.N exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ecnoglutide injection in South Korea for type 2 diabetes, obesity and MASH. Sciwind eligible for up to $56 million in development, registration and commercial milestones plus high double-digit sales royalties.
• 施能康 (SynerK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2022Collaboration to develop siRNA-based innovative therapies for liver and metabolic diseases. Partnership combines Sciwind's disease biology and clinical development expertise with SynerK's proprietary siRNA delivery technology platform.
• SanofimajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2021Global exclusive licensing agreement for Sanofi's long-acting GIP receptor agonist program for co-development with Sciwind's GLP-1 candidates. GIP receptor agonist has potential to further enhance efficacy and improve safety profile of GLP-1 combination therapies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Novo Nordisk: Global GLP-1 leader with semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) for T2D and obesity. Directly comparable as the incumbent benchmark Sciwind's ecnoglutide has shown superiority over in head-to-head trials; competition for global market share defines Sciwind's commercial ceiling.
• Hansoh Pharmaceutical: Major Chinese innovative pharma with a metabolic disease pipeline including GLP-1 candidates. Comparable as a large Chinese pharma with established commercialization infrastructure that Sciwind may compete against for hospital access and physician relationships.
• Eli Lilly: Developer of tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) and advancing oral orforglipron and retatrutide. The other dominant GLP-1 incumbent; Sciwind's CSO and CEO both held prior roles at Lilly, and the company's clinical positioning is defined relative to Lilly's portfolio.

Regional players

• Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals: Chinese insulin and peptide manufacturer developing GLP-1 biosimilars and novel peptides. Relevant peer in the Chinese peptide manufacturing and commercialization ecosystem; competes indirectly through similar patient channels and pricing dynamics.

Emerging players

• PegBio: Chinese biotech developing GIP/GLP-1 dual agonists (PEG-100) and long-acting peptide formulations for metabolic disease. Comparable Chinese-headquartered emerging player in GLP-1-adjacent space targeting similar patient populations.
• Structure Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonists (GSBR-1290). Directly comparable as an emerging player targeting the same oral GLP-1 opportunity that Sciwind addresses with XW014, with both competing for physician and patient mindshare in obesity/T2D.
• Terns Pharmaceuticals: US-listed biotech developing oral GLP-1 (TERN-601) and NASH therapies. Founded by Sciwind's Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Weidong Zhong; comparable in therapeutic area (metabolic disease) and stage (early clinical to mid-stage), and represents an alternative investment in the same space.
• Carmot Therapeutics: Pre-acquisition developer of CT-388 (GLP-1/GIP dual agonist) acquired by Roche. Representative comparable for the GLP-1/GIP dual agonist competitive set relevant to Sciwind's XW017 program and combination strategy.

Direct peers

• Innovent Biologics: Chinese biopharma with mazdutide (GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist) partnered with Eli Lilly for China commercialization. Closest Chinese-headquartered direct peer in the GLP-1 obesity/diabetes space, competing for similar prescribers, patients, and NMPA positioning.

Others

• Verdiva Bio: Newly established biotech that licensed Sciwind's oral ecnoglutide and amylin programs globally. While a partner rather than competitor, Verdiva's success in commercializing these assets directly affects Sciwind's milestone realization and royalty economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sciwind Biosciences