“We are excited to start clinical trials,” said Dr Yan Han, CEO of TianLi Biotech. “Our team has worked hard to advance the development of this new drug aimed at improving the treatment of lung fibrosis.”

On Thursday, August 8th, the first healthy volunteers received our anti-fibrotic drug, TLB001, via inhalation in our Phase I study. This milestone marks the beginning of our investigation into the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of TLB001, a crucial step toward making this innovative treatment available to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

IPF is a progressive and debilitating lung disease characterised by the gradual scarring of lung tissue, which leads to severe breathing difficulties and reduced quality of life. Current treatment options are limited, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches.

“This milestone of reaching a Phase I human trial marks the transition of Tianli Bioetch to a clinical stage biotech company and would not have been possible without the outstanding efforts of our R&D team and networks of consultants and CROs,” said Prof. Alastair Stewart, CSO. “We are eager to further explore the potential of our novel inhalational treatment for pulmonary fibrosis and other chronic respiratory diseases.”

“TLB001 is a proprietary small molecule drug targeting casein kinase δ/ε that provides a potentially groundbreaking advancement in the treatment of fibrosis, including IPF.” said Dr Bowen Zhang, Board Chair of Tianli Bioetch. Our innovative approach involves administering this aerosol drug directly to lung tissue, which is anticipated to minimise the adverse effects often associated with oral anti-fibrotic medications.

We are enthusiastic about continuing this journey and will keep you updated with more news and progress as the study advances.