South Korean biotech company soars on debut

SEOUL: SK Biopharmaceuticals Co, a biotechnology arm of SK Group in South Korea, surged to more than double the company’s initially offered price during its trading debut in the nation’s largest first share sale in three years.

The stock soared 159% from the initial public offering (IPO) price in Seoul, boosting its market cap to 9.9 trillion won (Us$8.2bil).

SK Biopharmaceuticals now has the largest equity value among health-care stocks trading in South Korea after Samsung Biologics Co, Celltrion Inc and Celltrion Healthcare Co.

Biotech stocks have boomed in Korea since regulators banned short-selling on March 16 for six months amid the global pandemic selloff.

Many of the firms surged after announcing plans to develop treatments related to

Covid-19, making them favourites of the nation’s retail traders.

Gains in the sector were rapid enough to prompt a Us$3bil US hedge fund to warn last week that valuations of Korean healthcare stocks – trading at 80 times 12-month forward earnings – were too expensive, leaving prices vulnerable.

More than Us$30mil in sales this year are expected from SK’S pipelines, which include one drug under clinical trial for a rare disease and two Fda-approved ones – Solriamfetol for excessive sleepiness and Cenobamate for epilepsy, according to Han Byung-hwa, analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities.

That means the stock is trading at more than 200 times the estimated sales, a high valuation given that rival UCB SA had a price-sales-ratio of five when it started its pharmaceutical business, Han wrote in a note.

Still, sales growth from the three drugs will be about 45% per year, reaching 1.8 trillion won in 2030, he added.

Despite high R&D and marketing costs – at least 200 billion won a year – the firm can get SK Group’s support, he said.

SK Biopharmaceuticals is seeking 55% insurance coverage in the US in July for cenobamate, brand-named Xcopri, without a partnership with local companies, CEO Jeong Woo Cho said at a press conference on June 15.

Xcopri is about US$30 per pill for 50mg, compared with US$20 per pill for rival UCB’S Briviact’s treatment, according to First Data Bank.

UCB’S Vimpat will go generic in 2022.