Clinical-stage biotechnology company Biophytis SA (Euronext Growth Paris:ALBPS) (OTC:BPTSY) announced on Wednesday that it has signed a strategic agreement to create a Hong Kong-based joint venture to develop and commercialise BIO101 (20-hydroxyecdysone) for sarcopenia across China, South Korea, and Japan.

Named Biophytis Biopharmaceutical Holding Ltd, the joint venture brings together Biophytis and a consortium of Asian partners, including Ronghui Renhe Life Technology, with Biophytis contributing its intellectual property related to BIO101. The partners have committed up to USD20m over three years, including USD3m upon formation and a total of USD10m in the first year. Ownership is split at 29% for Biophytis and its founders and 71% for the consortium.

The joint venture is expected to be formed within 180 days and become operational in the first half of 2026. Governance will include a five-member board with three representatives from Biophytis and its founders and two from the Asian partners.

The collaboration centres on launching the SARA-31 Phase 3 trial of BIO101, a multi-centre study enrolling 942 patients across China, Japan, and Europe. The Phase 3 trial is expected to begin in the second half of 2026 following regulatory approvals in China and Japan, with approvals already secured in Europe and the United States.