Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Positive" (maintained) [2] Core Insights - The report highlights the significant potential of the amylin market, with major pharmaceutical companies making substantial investments in amylin molecules, indicating a strong growth trajectory [6][9] - Amylin products are showing promising early clinical data in terms of safety and weight loss efficacy, with specific examples demonstrating competitive advantages over existing treatments [7][22] - A dense pipeline of catalysts is expected in the next 6-12 months, with multiple companies set to release critical clinical trial data that could validate the product profiles of amylin candidates [8][29] Summary by Sections Recent Major BD Transactions - AbbVie and Roche have made significant investments in amylin molecules, with AbbVie paying an upfront fee of $350 million and potential milestone payments of up to $1.875 billion for Gubra's amylin molecule [6][17] - Roche has partnered with Zealand to develop petrelintide, with an upfront payment of $1.65 billion and milestone payments reaching $3.6 billion [6][17] Amylin Product Profile - Early data for amylin monotherapy shows excellent safety and weight loss results, with examples like Eli Lilly's Eloralintide demonstrating a maximum weight loss of 11.3% at 12 weeks [7][22] - The report notes that the majority of weight loss from Eloralintide is fat, with preclinical data showing up to 91% of weight loss being fat [23][28] Future Catalysts - A significant number of amylin pipeline data readouts are expected in the next 6-12 months, with major companies like Roche, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca anticipated to release phase 2 trial data [8][29] - Companies such as Viking, Structure, and others are also highlighted for their clinical trial progress in the amylin space [8][29] Investment Recommendations - The report recommends focusing on companies like Borui Pharmaceutical and Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical, which are expected to accelerate their presence in the amylin market [9][31] - Beneficiary companies include Viking, Structure, Metsera, and Jiuyuan Gene, which are positioned to gain from advancements in the amylin sector [9][31]

Core Insights - Novo Nordisk's semaglutide has successfully claimed the title of "king of drugs" in Q1 2024, surpassing Merck's Keytruda in sales [2][3] - The success of semaglutide has sparked a research and development frenzy in the global weight loss market among multinational corporations (MNCs) [1][6] - The competitive landscape in the GLP-1 space is intensifying, particularly with Eli Lilly's strong performance and ongoing clinical trials [4][5] Sales Performance - In Q1 2024, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide products generated a total sales revenue of approximately $8.38 billion, with individual products Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus contributing $2.63 billion, $4.95 billion, and $0.86 billion respectively [2] - Merck's Keytruda reported Q1 sales of $7.2 billion, indicating that semaglutide has overtaken it in sales for the first time [2] Market Dynamics - Novo Nordisk has lowered its full-year performance outlook due to lower-than-expected penetration rates of its GLP-1 products in the U.S. market, despite achieving an 18% sales growth in Q1 [3] - Eli Lilly's GLP-1 products, Mounjaro and Zepbound, generated combined sales of $6.15 billion in Q1, indicating strong competition in the market [4] R&D Developments - Novo Nordisk is focusing on developing new formulations, with the oral version of Wegovy under FDA review, which could become the first oral GLP-1 treatment for long-term weight management if approved [5] - Pfizer has announced a commitment to weight loss drug development but faced setbacks with the termination of its oral GLP-1 drug Danuglipron due to safety concerns [6] CXO Industry Impact - The surge in GLP-1 research has positively impacted domestic CXO companies, with WuXi AppTec's TIDES business achieving a revenue of 5.8 billion yuan in 2023, a 70.1% increase year-on-year [7] - Notable growth has also been reported by Novotech Biopharma, with Q1 revenue of 566 million yuan, a 58.96% increase, and a projected annual revenue growth of nearly 60% for 2024 [7]