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BASF Agricultural Solutions starts global registration of novel PPO herbicide Replexor™ Active

Business

BASF Agricultural Solutions starts global registration of novel PPO herbicide Replexor™ Active
Business

Business

BASF Agricultural Solutions starts global registration of novel PPO herbicide Replexor™ Active

2026-07-27 20:00 Last Updated At:20:15

  • Regulatory dossiers for Replexor Active submitted in Brazil and Australia; US and Argentina to follow in 2027
  • Rounding out weed control spectrum, Replexor Active strengthens integrated PPO herbicide portfolio, helping growers maximize the value of their weed management programs
  • Start of Replexor Active's registration marks another sign of strong crop protection innovation pipeline

LIMBURGERHOF, Germany, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BASF Agricultural Solutions has begun the registration process for Replexor™ Active (fendioxypyracil), a novel herbicide active ingredient from its protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) innovation pipeline with broad-spectrum activity on both broadleaf weeds and grasses. At peak adoption, Replexor Active could support weed management programs covering more than 50 million hectares globally. First regulatory dossiers are being submitted in Brazil and Australia in July 2026, with filings in the United States and Argentina planned for 2027. Pending approvals, BASF targets first market introductions of Replexor Active around 2030.

Herbicide-resistant weeds are a growing challenge for farmers of major crops such as soybean, corn, and cotton. At the same time, regulatory pressure is reducing the number of available active ingredients, further limiting effective control options.

In this context, PPO herbicides have been a reliable cornerstone of resistance management for more than 50 years. With Replexor Active, BASF extends that portfolio – which includes Kixor® Active and Tirexor® Active – with a new level of weed control. While most existing PPO herbicides primarily target broadleaf weeds, Replexor Active also controls key annual grasses such as Eleusine indica, Echinochloa spp., and Setaria spp. With PPO resistance in grasses remaining rare, Replexor Active adds a valuable new option for managing resistant grass weeds.

"Replexor Active fills a genuine gap in the PPO space," said Maximilian Becker, Member of the Management Board of BASF Agricultural Solutions, in charge of Business. "Growers have had very few new tools for resistant grasses in recent years. Replexor Active addresses that directly and fits into the resistance management programs growers are already building with our PPO portfolio."

In addition to its broad-spectrum activity, Replexor Active offers compelling benefits: it delivers fast-acting weed control and enables no-till farming practices, helping to minimize soil erosion. Furthermore, it is effective at low use rates, making it easier to handle while reducing the amount of active ingredient per hectare.

"The start of Replexor Active's registration process is another sign of our strong innovation pipeline," added Melanie Bausen-Wiens Member of the Management Board of BASF Agricultural Solutions, in charge of Technology. "It reflects our position as a leading player in crop protection and our ability to translate sustained R&D investment into new tools that address real challenges for growers. And with the PPO herbicide-tolerant traits we are developing, growers will have even more flexibility in how and when they apply Replexor Active."

About BASF Agricultural Solutions

Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide sufficient and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That's why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €990 million in 2025, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, and our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and stakeholders along the value chain. In 2025, our business generated sales of €9.6 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers' green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 95,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

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BASF Agricultural Solutions starts global registration of novel PPO herbicide Replexor™ Active

BASF Agricultural Solutions starts global registration of novel PPO herbicide Replexor™ Active

CHENGDU, China, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Kelun-Biotech" or the "Company", 6990.HK) today announced that it has received a clinical trial notice from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approving the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its novel dual-payload ADC drug, SKB565, for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. This marks the Company's first dual-payload ADC to enter the clinical stage.

SKB565 is developed using the Company's proprietary OptiDC™ platform. Featuring an innovative dual-payload design, SKB565 enables the direct delivery of toxins and immunomodulators, two kinds of payload with complementary mechanisms of action, to tumor tissue. Compared with conventional ADCs carrying only toxins, SKB565 has a dual antitumor mechanism: it precisely targets and kills tumors while activating the immune system within the tumor microenvironment to elicit an antitumor immune response, bringing enhanced and more durable antitumor efficacy. In preclinical studies, SKB565 demonstrated excellent antitumor activity and safety, with its outstanding therapeutic potential to support further clinical development.

Leveraging technological expertise and platform advantages in the ADC field, Kelun-Biotech has established a diversified pipeline of innovative molecules featuring high-value targets, differentiated designs, and global potential. Building on this foundation, the Company continues to advance its "ADC + IO" strategy—on one hand by actively exploring high-quality combination regimens, including multiple ongoing clinical studies evaluating ADCs in combination with PD-(L)1 monoclonal antibodies, as well as the PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody SKB118 in combination with its proprietary ADC portfolio; on the other hand, the Company is advancing integrated drug design strategies by incorporating synergistic functional components into a single ADC molecule.

Dr. Michael Ge, CEO of Kelun-Biotech, said, " SKB565 is one of the core representative drugs of our integrated 'ADC + IO' strategy, leveraging the synergistic mechanism of its dual payloads to enhance efficacy and overcome drug resistance. Dual-payload ADCs are emerging as one of the key next-generation innovations in the ADC field. The advancement of SKB565 into clinical stage not only marks an important milestone in the achievements transformation of our technology platform, but also substantiates the continued deepening of our innovation capabilities in ADCs. We will actively advance the clinical development of novel drug conjugates such as SKB565, striving to deliver greater benefits to patients with cancer as soon as possible."

About Kelun-Biotech

Kelun-Biotech (6990.HK) is a holding subsidiary of Kelun Pharmaceutical, which focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, commercialization and global collaboration of innovative biological drugs and small molecule drugs. Kelun-Biotech focuses on major disease areas such as solid tumors, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases, and in establishing a globalized drug development and industrialization platform to address the unmet medical needs in China and the rest of world. Kelun-Biotech is committed to becoming a leading global enterprise in the field of innovative drugs. At present, Kelun-Biotech has more than 30 ongoing key innovative drug projects, of which 4 projects with 8 indications have been approved for marketing, 1 project is in the NDA stage and more than 10 projects are in the clinical stage. Kelun-Biotech has established one of the world's leading proprietary ADC and novel DC platforms, OptiDC™, and has 2 ADC projects with 5 indications approved for marketing, and multiple ADC and novel DC assets in clinical or preclinical research stage. For more information, please visit https://en.kelun-biotech.com/.

 

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Kelun-Biotech Receives a Clinical Trial Notice for Its First Dual-payload ADC SKB565

Kelun-Biotech Receives a Clinical Trial Notice for Its First Dual-payload ADC SKB565

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