Investment Rating - The report recommends a "Buy" rating for multiple companies in the pharmaceutical sector, including Junshi Biosciences, Hualan Biological Engineering-B, and others [3]. Core Insights - The pharmaceutical sector has shown a 1.90% increase this week, outperforming the CSI 300 index by 0.21 percentage points. Sub-sectors such as pharmaceutical outsourcing, vaccines, and medical consumables performed well, while innovative drugs lagged behind [6][42]. - The report emphasizes the potential of the 4-1BB target in cancer treatment, particularly the PD-L1/4-1BB bispecific antibodies, which may address the limitations of PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy [5][16][17]. Summary by Sections Industry Viewpoints and Investment Recommendations - 4-1BB is recognized as a promising target for tumor therapy, enhancing T cell activation and survival, which is crucial for effective immune responses against cancer [16]. - Investment strategies focus on the innovative drug sector, driven by increased liquidity and risk appetite, with a recommendation to pay attention to companies with strong pipelines in bispecific antibodies and ADCs [6][38]. Pharmaceutical Industry Market Performance - The pharmaceutical sector's overall P/E ratio is reported at 30.67 times, with a premium of 40.37% compared to the overall A-share market excluding financials [42]. Company Dynamics - Notable company developments include: - LIZHU Group's successful Phase III trial for a monoclonal antibody for psoriasis [43]. - Baiyang Pharmaceutical's planned share reduction by its major shareholder [43]. - Mylab's new medical device approval, enhancing market competitiveness [44]. Industry Dynamics - The report highlights the increasing focus on innovative drug development and the potential for significant market opportunities in the context of upcoming patent expirations for key small molecule drugs [38].

Core Viewpoint - Protagonist Therapeutics has selected PN-477 as its primary development candidate for obesity treatment, which is a triple agonist peptide targeting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon (GCG) receptors, offering both efficacy and convenience through oral or subcutaneous administration [2][4]. Group 1: Drug Development and Efficacy - PN-477 has completed extensive preclinical evaluations, demonstrating positive effects in various animal models of obesity and blood glucose control, including diet-induced obese mice, normal dogs, and crab-eating macaques [4]. - The drug exhibits strong activation of GLP-1, GIP, and GCG receptors in vitro, indicating its potential effectiveness [4]. - PN-477's pharmacodynamic properties and overall performance make it suitable for parallel development as both a daily oral medication (PN-477o) and a weekly injection (PN-477sc) [4]. Group 2: Clinical Trials and Future Plans - The Investigational New Drug (IND) application is currently underway, with the first phase of clinical trials expected to start in the second quarter of 2026 [4]. - Protagonist Therapeutics plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for its other candidates in 2025, indicating a robust pipeline [6][7]. Group 3: Market Position and Competitive Advantage - Despite the dominance of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the market, there is room for improvement, and a triple agonist like PN-477 could provide a significant breakthrough in obesity treatment by offering an oral option alongside injectable therapies [6]. - PN-477 is anticipated to reduce fat mass while preserving lean body mass and improving tolerability and comorbidities, positioning it as a potential blockbuster product for the company [6]. Group 4: Company Overview - Protagonist Therapeutics is an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on drug discovery and late-stage development, with two novel candidates in Phase III clinical trials and plans for NDA submissions in 2025 [6][7]. - The company is also advancing several preclinical peptide drug development projects, including PN-881 and oral hepcidin [7].

[Music] the uh center of the action of our research of development organization which is the lifeblood of a company like Johnson and Johnson. So here we have about 2500 scientists and researchers that are connected with the rest of our R&D organization. Duatau is chairman and CEO of Johnson and Johnson, one of the largest drug makers in the world.We met with him at his firm's research center to learn how a major pharmaceutical company develops cuttingedge drugs. It started with a smaller campus and graduall ...