Pharma News | How Bao Pharma Demonstrates Differentiated Breakthrough

Source: Xinhua Finance

Looking back at Bao Pharma’s growth trajectory, its three pivotal moments have already embedded within the company a gene for withstanding economic cycles. As the Chairman Liu Yanjun remarked: “Market ups and downs are like the changing seasons. A healthy enterprise must possess the resolve to move steadily through economic cycles.” This resolve stems from a firm belief in its strategy and confidence in its core products.

On 10 December, Shanghai Bao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Reviewing its development path, Bao Pharma has repeatedly advanced against headwinds: in 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic loomed and markets cooled, while many companies contracted, Bao Pharma expanded its R&D pipeline, anchoring the long-term value; in 2022, amid severe economic contraction, Bao Pharma proactively secured strategic capital; and despite market volatility in Hong Kong and continued valuation pressure, the company pressed on with its IPO and ultimately succeeded.
As Liu noted, true resilience comes from unwavering strategic conviction and trust in one’s core assets.

Differentiated innovation anchored in real clinical needs

Bao Pharma’s innovation journey began with a choice: instead of joining the crowded market of PD-1, ADC, and GLP-1, it stepped into therapeutic areas long overlooked —diseases with real but “niche” medical needs.
As a surgeon trained under Prof. Wu Mengchao, a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liu Yanjun deeply understands that patients’ most urgent needs often lie outside the spotlight. With the strategic principle of “Be the FIRST or be the ONLY”, Bao pharma avoids overcrowded tracks and instead focuses on unmet clinical demands.

SJ02, China’s first approved long-acting follicle-stimulating hormone, exemplifies this approach. Transforming the long-standing “daily injection” regimen into a once-weekly therapy, it responds to the needs of women navigating fertility treatments while elevating assisted reproduction into a broader public health issue.

Another neglected area is acute autoimmune diseases driven by pathogenic IgG autoantibodies. For these fast-progressing, high-mortality conditions, Bao Pharma developed KJ103—the world’s first low-preexisting-antibody IgG-degrading enzyme to enter Phase III trials—offering a potential breakthrough for rare, life-threatening immune disorders.

Manufacturing as the strategic basis

Bao Pharma believes that innovation is meaningful only when the treatment is accessible and affordable for the patients. Thus, cost control through advanced biomanufacturing is a strategic priority. The company has built a GMP grade facility, with another plant under construction. Using synthetic biology, Bao Pharma has established a fully self-reliant manufacturing system that improves quality while systematically reducing production costs.

KJ017, China’s first recombinant human hyaluronidase to reach NDA, can shorten traditional intravenous antibody infusion times from hours to minutes, enabling delivery in clinics or even at home. Importantly, Bao Pharma does not keep this key excipient for itself but acts as a key strategic supplier for the industry.

Global expansion: towards an international market

IPO proceeds mark a new beginning. Bao Pharma plans to submit IND applications to EMA for KJ017 and SJ02 in 2026 and explore overseas clinical trials for KJ103. In an environment where many Chinese biotechs licensed out early-stage pipelines under financial pressure, Bao chooses independent overseas development, supported by its integrated innovation–manufacturing–commercialization capabilities.

Bao Pharma is not the loudest “wave rider,” but a steady “long-distance voyager,” advancing with long-term conviction into its own blue ocean.