Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotech

Firstly, we warmly welcome Dr. Du to Lishan. The comprehensive strategic cooperation between Lishan and Eglin is a new starting point, and we look forward to more achievements in the future.

Firstly, I would like to ask Dr. Du how you view the live biopharmaceutical LBP industry? We have found that there are some large pharmaceutical companies in the United States, such as Nestle investing in Seres and Pfizer investing in Vedanta, and it seems that this industry is slowly starting to heat up. But I also heard some different voices, such as that its safety is acceptable, but its effectiveness and mechanism are very complex. What is your opinion on the live microbial medicine industry?

Dr. Du Tao

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

Okay, I am Du Tao, the chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals in Shenzhen and a former FDA review officer. In 2016, the US government officially announced the National Microbiome Initiative for Microbiomics, which only invested a meager $120 million at the time. At that time, the total support received from the US business community and large funds was only $400 million. However, in just 8 years since then, three drugs related to microorganisms have been approved, so the prospects of this microbial drug are immeasurable and have enormous potential.

In terms of effectiveness and safety, safety has been proven. Many LBPs do not have major issues, and the efficacy is also satisfactory. Personally, I think it depends on what kind of disease you are targeting. If it is an acute disease, LBP may not be the best choice, but it is very effective for some chronic diseases that cannot be solved by western medicine or diseases with genetic defects. Otherwise, it usually takes more than ten years from concept formation to product emergence, but the product is formed in just eight years, so LBP has unlimited prospects. I am both hopeful and confident about this.

Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotech

As you said, antibiotics have their own unique characteristics, and the type of disease they treat is crucial. In this regard, Lishan will pay attention to some complex chronic diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, type 2 diabetes caused by disordered flora structure, etc. We are planning to open a new pipeline recently, which is the autism pipeline. I would like to hear Dr. Du's advice on the selection of microbial drugs in the pipeline, or his evaluation of our autism pipeline.

Dr. Du Tao

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

Early antibiotics were mostly focused on intestinal diseases, but with the deepening development of antibiotics, it has been recognized that their indications extend far beyond intestinal related diseases. There are many diseases that may not be related to the gut on the surface, but can be treated by regulating the gut microbiota through antibiotics. Literature has reported the use of antibiotics to treat various diseases, which was unimaginable 10 years ago. It is reasonable for Lishan to choose ulcerative colitis in the early stage, and now developing autism has unlimited prospects.

Autism mainly occurs before the age of 7 in China, with a prevalence rate of about 0.7%, while in the United States it is close to 2.5%. Both countries have millions of patients, and currently there is a lack of treatment drugs in this field, so choosing autism has unlimited prospects. Based on some literature reports, I also believe that this decision is feasible and worth our joint efforts to make.

I think that Lishan's early focus on intestinal related diseases such as ulcerative colitis, and now expanding outward to find neurological and neuro psychiatric related diseases, is a very correct path. I personally believe that the likelihood of success is quite high.

Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotech

Okay, thank you, Dr. Du. Our mission at Lishan is to develop drugs to meet unmet clinical needs. We have found that children with autism or autism have caused great harm to their families and society, so we want to focus on research and launch a product as soon as possible to help these families and children.

We also noticed that gut microbiota has an impact on many systems, such as the nervous system, immune system, metabolic system, including aging and hypertension. We have heard some calls, such as developing products to treat sleep problems and depression. I would like to ask you, how to choose which indications can be used as pipelines for new drug development, and which indications can be used for the development of big health products or probiotics? How should we make a decision or judgment in this?

Dr. Du Tao

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

There are two directions for the development of antibacterial drugs: one is to develop them into therapeutic drugs, and the other is to develop them into special foods. Both have prospects and market demand.

For example, insomnia, under the pressure of modern society, many people have sleep problems. If developed into therapeutic drugs or health products, there is a huge clinical demand. There is a lot of room for development, including depression and anxiety. In this regard, Lishan should consider entering the market as early as possible to meet demand.

From the perspective of systematic clinical development, it may take some time. In the early stages, some data can be obtained through IT and developed into health products, which can be launched as soon as possible. Thanks to the huge demand in the market, we can make a difference and also benefit patients.

Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotechn

What special or forward-looking declaration strategies and methods can Eglin share with us during the cooperation between Lishan and Eglin?

Dr. Du Tao

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

Eglin is a company co founded by four former FDA review officials, and we have attracted many experts from traditional pharmaceutical companies, including chemists, medical professionals, and pharmacologists. In addition, we have our own AI team that sets us apart. Over the past few years, we have also developed the ability to empower pharmaceutical companies in their applications.

So far, I have helped pharmaceutical companies in China, the United States, Italy, and Israel with FDA declarations. For Lishan, this company has high aspirations and distant goals. We believe that it should not only target the Chinese market but also go global. From the current business situation, the European and American markets are facing many difficulties for Chinese companies. Although we have patents, it is difficult for us to establish a sales team. The best way is to cooperate with foreign pharmaceutical companies. Prior to cooperation, obtaining approval from EMA or FDA will be an important foundation for our collaboration with large companies, as these clinical data and documents recognized by foreign regulatory agencies will serve as the basis for our cooperation.

In this regard, we have technology transfer, foreign regulatory application, and clinical experience. Our team is also very interested in the field of microbial medicine. I have personally helped Chinese companies apply for antimicrobial drugs in Canada and the United States, which is a field that I love very much. Therefore, we are very pleased and honored to have the opportunity to fully cooperate with Lishan.

Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotechn

Can you provide a long-term outlook for the collaboration between Eglin and Lishan. Besides drug application and health product development, what other possibilities do you think are for cooperation and development?

Dr. Du Tao

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

The five directors of Lishan are each responsible for a pipeline, forming a strong core competitiveness. And the technology platform established by the company, the Keyin AI drug discovery and verification platform, all have a high degree of synergy with us. Therefore, we can collaborate in various aspects, from early candidate drug selection, to mid-term clinical development and application, to long-term business cooperation, where we can empower each other. Our team is willing to contribute to this.

I personally have never viewed cooperation with Lishan as a short-term or single project collaboration. I believe that the cooperation between Eglin and Lishan should be a long-term strategic partnership and a unique cooperation model. This is not only beneficial for both parties, but also accelerates Lishan's continuous contribution of LBP innovative drugs to the world, while also benefiting the development of Eglin.

Dr. Chen Weijie

Chairman of Lishan Biotechn

Thank you Dr. Du for your insights, which have greatly benefited me. I hope there will be more cooperation and development between Lishan and Eglin in the later stage, and I hope Eglin will become better and better, and Lishan will also become better and better.

Du Tao Botu

Chairman of Eglin Pharmaceuticals

I am also looking forward to it very much. The Eglin team is also looking forward to it. Thank you.