Kailera’s Bold Bet: Skipping The Lab, Racing To Market With China’s Ozempic Rivals

by News Editor

April 18, 2025

While Big Pharma pours billions into obesity drug R&D, a new biotech startup is taking a shortcut: licensing ready-to-go therapies from China. Kailera Therapeutics, launched with $400 million from Bain Capital, Atlas Venture, and RTW Investments, is fast-tracking four obesity drugs developed by Jiangsu Hengrui — one of China’s pharmaceutical heavyweights.

The playbook? Bypass years of early-stage research. “We saw next-gen GLP-1 therapies that could leapfrog existing options,” says Dr. Amir Zamani, Bain’s life sciences partner who spearheaded the deal. One injectable candidate from Hengrui showed 59% of patients losing 20 %+ body weight in Phase II trials, with mild side effects. Even more promising: two of the licensed drugs are pills, a potential game-changer in a market currently dominated by injectables.

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With global obesity drug sales projected to hit $131 billion by 2028, Kailera aims to move fast. Leading the charge is biotech veteran Ron Renaud, who’s sold three companies for a combined $16 billion. “We likely have the most advanced and diverse weight-loss pipeline outside Big Pharma,” he says. The goal is to bring the first drug to market by 2030 — a rapid timeline thanks to Hengrui’s head start.

China’s rise as a pharmaceutical R&D hub is reshaping the biotech map. Over a third of molecules licensed by Western firms now originate there. U.S. firms have spent $8.1 billion since 2020 licensing Chinese-developed drugs — a stark contrast to just $536 million in the previous five years.

Kailera is betting this east-west fusion can deliver blockbuster results. With 100 million obese adults in the U.S. alone — not to mention global demand — the addressable market is massive. “This isn’t a one-drug race,” Renaud says. “It’s going to take an entire arsenal.”

To prep for launch, Kailera has added top-tier talent: Scott Wasserman, former cardiovascular lead at Amgen, is chief medical officer; Jamie Coleman, who led Zepbound’s commercial rollout at Lilly, now heads marketing.

Whether Kailera becomes the next independent giant or is eventually snapped up by Big Pharma, as Renaud’s previous ventures were, it’s already a standout in the white-hot weight-loss drug race.

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Cyprus Invested €213.6 Million In R&D In 2023, Up 3.2% From 2022

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 16, 2025

Incremental Rise in R&D Spending

Cyprus dedicated €213.6 million to research and development in 2023, amounting to 0.68% of its GDP, according to data released by Cystat. This figure represents a modest 3.2% increase over the previous year, when total expenditure reached €207 million (0.70% of GDP).

Comparative European Landscape

While research and innovation spending in Cyprus has consistently trended upward over the past decade, its relative investment remains below the EU average of 2.26%. Countries such as Malta and Romania exhibit similarly lower percentages, at 0.64% and 0.52% of GDP, respectively, as opposed to the frontrunners like Sweden (3.64%), Belgium (3.27%), and Austria (3.26%) in 2023.

Long-Term Growth Prospects

Despite its modest share of GDP, Cyprus boasts one of the highest long-term growth rates in its bloc. Between 2000 and 2023, the nation’s R&D expenditure grew at an annual average of 9.96%, and from 2010 to 2023, this growth averaged 7.23%—significantly outpacing the EU’s averages of 4.47% and 4.62% respectively.

Sectoral and Funding Breakdown

Analysis by sector reveals that business enterprises led R&D activity with €89.6 million (41.9% of total expenditure), followed by higher education institutions at €76.9 million (36%), private non-profit organizations at €31.1 million (14.6%), and the government at €16 million (7.5%). Within the corporate sphere, investment was primarily channeled through information and communication companies (accounting for €51.7 million), complemented by pharmaceutical, electronics, and electrical equipment manufacturers, which contributed €25.9 million.

Diversified Funding Sources

Government funds underwrote 23.5% of the total R&D activity, equating to €50.2 million, a slight increase from 22.1% the previous year. Public universities injected €27 million into the ecosystem, while foreign funding, including EU contributions, provided €45.1 million. Notably, the private sector led the financing efforts with a contribution of €91.3 million, representing 42.8% of the aggregate expenditure.

Disciplinary Focus and Human Capital

Research investments were predominantly directed towards the natural sciences (€94.5 million) and engineering and technology (€66.1 million). The social sciences (€22.3 million), agricultural sciences (€12.6 million), medical sciences (€10.5 million), and humanities (€7.5 million) completed the funding profile. The R&D workforce in 2023 edged up slightly, engaging 4,257 personnel overall, including 2,308 full-time equivalent researchers, 39.4% of whom were women, with roughly one-third holding PhD qualifications.

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