# Protagonist Therapeutics

> Protagonist Therapeutics is a Newark, California clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that turns peptides - short chains of amino acids long dismissed as too fragile to be drugs - into stable, often orally available medicines. Its proprietary peptide discovery and engineering platform powers a pipeline spanning hematology, inflammation/immunology and metabolic disease, anchored by rusfertide (a hepcidin mimetic for polycythemia vera under FDA Priority Review) and icotrokinra, an oral IL-23 receptor blocker partnered with Johnson & Johnson that reached the U.S. market in 2026. Publicly traded on Nasdaq as PTGX, the company pairs internal discovery with high-value pharma partnerships.

- **Founded:** 2006
- **Headquarters:** Newark, California, United States
- **Founders:** Dinesh V. Patel (President & CEO (founding leader, joined 2008)), Mark Smythe (Co-founder / Vectrix scaffold peptide platform technology)
- **Team size:** ~130 employees
- **Products:** Rusfertide (PTG-300), Icotrokinra (JNJ-2113 / ICOTYDE), PN-477, Peptide discovery & engineering platform
- **Notable:** Rusfertide NDA accepted with FDA Priority Review, PDUFA target Q3 2026, Icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) launched in the U.S. in March 2026 - a first-in-class oral IL-23 receptor peptide, Named among the most innovative biotechnology companies globally in 2025

## Products & services

- **Rusfertide (PTG-300)** — Injectable hepcidin mimetic peptide for polycythemia vera; NDA accepted with FDA Priority Review and a PDUFA target action date in Q3 2026, aiming to reduce reliance on therapeutic phlebotomy.
- **Icotrokinra (JNJ-2113 / ICOTYDE)** — First-in-class oral peptide that blocks the IL-23 receptor for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative colitis; developed with Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and launched in the U.S. in March 2026 for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
- **PN-477** — Oral and subcutaneous triple GLP-1/GIP/GCG receptor agonist peptide for obesity and weight management, providing multi-pathway metabolic activation.
- **Peptide discovery & engineering platform** — Proprietary technology platform (rooted in Vectrix scaffold tech) for designing potent, selective, metabolically stable and often orally available peptide drug candidates.

## Achievements

- Rusfertide NDA accepted with FDA Priority Review, PDUFA target Q3 2026
- Icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) launched in the U.S. in March 2026 - a first-in-class oral IL-23 receptor peptide
- Named among the most innovative biotechnology companies globally in 2025
- Triggered a $50M milestone payment on ICOTYDE approval with up to $580M in future milestones remaining
- Built a differentiated peptide platform yielding multiple late-stage clinical candidates

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — ICOTYDE (icotrokinra) launched in the U.S. for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis; J&J reported in active acquisition discussions with Protagonist.
- **2026-Q1** — Reported first quarter 2026 financial results and corporate update; rusfertide NDA under FDA Priority Review with Q3 2026 PDUFA date.

## Links

- Website: https://www.protagonist-inc.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/protagonist-therapeutics/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ProtagonistTx

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Last updated: 2026-06-24