While the $118.3 billion raised by biopharma companies in 2021 through public and private transactions is 12% lower than the amount raised the prior year, it still represents an impressive financings record, led primarily by IPOs and venture capital rounds.
Sirnaomics Ltd. became the first RNA therapeutics company to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) with a $64 million initial public offering. Its shares (HKEX:2277) have since surged, rising to HK$93.90 ($12.04) on Jan. 4 following their debut at HK$65.90 per share.
Beigene Ltd.’s listing on the Shanghai STAR Market netted ¥22 million ($3.4 billion) as the company became making it the first biotech firm to be listed on Nasdaq, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the Shanghai STAR Market. But Shanghai shares, initially priced at ¥192.6 each, fizzled quickly, plunging over 16.4% by market close to ¥160.98 on Dec. 15.
Canbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc. has raised HK$604 million ($77.4 million) with a listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, selling about 56.3 million shares (1228.HK) at HK$12.18 per share. The shares fell to HK$8.90 at the close of trading Dec. 10. Almost half the funds will support advancement of Canbridge’s lead candidate, CAN-008, a glycosylated CD95-Fc fusion protein in phase II testing for glioblastoma, while another quarter will support other major pipeline programs.
PERTH, Australia – Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd. raised AU$50 million (US$36.4 million) in an oversubscribed IPO to advance its platform of radiopharmaceutical products for both diagnostic and therapeutic uses.
Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals Inc. raised HK$2.03 billion (US$260.17 million) in its Hong Kong Stock Exchange debut. Shares closed at HK$12.98 (US$1.67) on Nov. 5 after trading as high as HK$13.56 earlier.
D&D Pharmatech Inc., a Korean-American firm commercializing innovation from Johns Hopkins University raised $51 million in a pre-IPO series C round, which sets the stage for an IPO in Seoul early next year.
Abbisko Cayman Ltd. has raised $226 million through an IPO in Hong Kong, where it launched with an initial price of HK$12.46 (US$1.60) per share. The company, doing business as Abbisko Therapeutics, plans to use about a third of the proceeds for research and development of its lead candidate, ABSK-091, as a potential treatment for multiple solid tumors.
Abion Inc., which focuses on precision oncology, raised ₩38.76 billion (US$33.36 million) in its debut on the Korean Stock Exchange’s Kosdaq board on Sept. 8.
Vigencell Inc., a company focused on immune cell therapy, raised ₩99.4 (US$85.17 million) through an IPO on South Korea’s Kosdaq board and plans to use the funds to drive its R&D and company operations. “We particularly want to increase the competitiveness of our pipeline by advancing our technology and clinical development,” Vigencell CEO Tai-Gyu Kim told BioWorld. “We will also expand our discovery of new candidates and R&D in general, as well as updating our facilities and hiring researchers.”