Eimophon Responds to Clinical Trial Death as Hong Kong IPO Filing Remains Pending

Eimophon said on September 10 that it deeply mourns the death of a clinical trial participant and will continue to communicate with the family and provide support, according to Jiemian News. The company said its registration-based phase III trial is ongoing and is being conducted in strict accordance with GCP requirements, adding that any disclosure will be made at an appropriate time in line with laws, regulations and privacy protections. The response followed public scrutiny after a participant died about seven hours after receiving IMC002, Eimophon's CAR-T therapy candidate. The patient's husband said the informed consent form did not clearly warn of severe risks such as intracranial hemorrhage and brain herniation; Eimophon previously said the broader wording on CAR-T-related coagulation and bleeding disorders already covered possible consequences. Jiemian News also reported that Eimophon director Li Jiaxin, who is general manager of fund manager Rebuild Capital, drew further criticism after telling a reporter over the phone to "go away" and asking if the reporter was annoying. Eimophon is in the middle of a Hong Kong IPO process. It first filed on February 13, 2026, let the prospectus lapse on August 13 after six months, and refiled on August 18. The company has no approved commercial products and reported losses of 71.3 million yuan in 2024, 115 million yuan in 2025 and 109 million yuan in the first half of 2026. According to its prospectus, founder Sun Minmin and entities she controls held 24.98% of the voting rights as of August 11, 2026, while Pengfu Shenzhen, backed by Fosun Pharma and Rebuild Capital, held 15.16%; IMC002 had completed phase I/IIa studies and was in registration phase III, with Eimophon expecting to submit an NDA in 2027.