[Edaily Reporter Yoo Jin-hee] Amid a persistent trend of foreign and institutional investors heavily concentrating their funds in the semiconductor sector in the domestic stock market recently, the biotech sector managed to hold its ground on the 11th, driven by clear clinical results and a commitment to responsible management. Investor sentiment appears to be coalescing around companies backed by earnings momentum and management’s efforts to restore trust.

In particular, key stocks that demonstrated rigorous data verification and a commitment to responsible management stood out uniquely even amid a bear market. On this day, #GIInnovation, #OrientBio, and #LNCBio—which recorded double-digit surges in the overall market’s daily gain—drew strong buying interest and led the biotech sector’s rally.

In-depth evaluation of the innovative data for ‘GI-101A’ validated at a top-tier global conference

On that day, GI Innovation closed at 13,640 won, a 15.40% surge from the previous trading day, placing it among the top performers in the biotech sector. This was the result of buying momentum from institutional and foreign investors, driven by a positive analysis report from a U.S. healthcare-focused investment bank (IB) and the momentum from an oral presentation at the world’s largest cancer conference.

Recently, U.S. investment bank Leerink Partners highlighted GI Innovation’s next-generation immuno-oncology candidate “GI-101A” as a promising program poised to shake up the global market in its “ASCO 2026” immuno-oncology review report. The report presented an in-depth analysis suggesting that, given the current situation where global anti-cancer drug investment trends are overly skewed toward antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) or VEGF/PD-1 bispecific antibodies, the true shift in the market landscape will be triggered in the interleukin-2 (IL-2) bispecific fusion antibody (bs-fusion-Ab) sector.

The abstract data for GI-101A, positioned at the center of this megatrend, exceeded market expectations. It achieved a landmark result by inducing complete remission (CR) in a patient with refractory bladder cancer who had shown no response to existing immuno-oncology treatments, using a single-agent regimen at an effective dose (0.2–0.3 mg/kg). The progression-free survival (PFS) for these patients was confirmed at 13.9 months, an overwhelming figure that is more than double the previously reported data (approximately 6 months) for "Padsec," the standard treatment currently used in clinical practice. Partial response (PR) was also observed in patients with malignant mesothelioma refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors, demonstrating anticancer activity.

The combination therapy with the global blockbuster drug ‘Keytruda’ (pembrolizumab) also yielded encouraging results. In the clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cohort—which has accumulated the most data among the combination clinical trials involving a total of 48 solid tumor patients—the drug achieved outstanding results with an objective response rate (ORR) of 40% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 70%. Despite 70% of patients being refractory cases who had failed prior immunotherapy, responses persisted for up to 16.7 months or longer. As the majority of patients are still undergoing treatment, there is significant potential for further improvement in the final PFS data.

A GI Innovation representative stated, “GI-101A is demonstrating a clear trend of dose-proportional improvement in anticancer activity,” adding, “Even after the submission of the conference abstract, overwhelming results surpassing existing data in terms of response duration and ORR are being accumulated in real time.”

Strong Drive Toward Responsible Management Following Stock Consolidation: Orient Bio Rises as Three Major Growth Strategies Take Shape

#OrientBio, which closed at 978 won—a 14.12% surge from the previous day—saw its stock price strongly driven by the announcement of a major business restructuring and the momentum from management’s increased stake. Following the completion of institutional reforms such as a stock consolidation and the listing of new shares, the company officially announced detailed plans on the morning of the 11th to enhance mid- to long-term corporate value, thereby securing the trust of leading investors.

Orient Bio’s management clearly assessed that the current stock price does not fully reflect the company’s intrinsic asset value or its future independent growth potential. Accordingly, the company announced that its largest shareholder, related parties, and affiliates are actively reviewing various share acquisition strategies—including on-market purchases—within the limits permitted by law. This was interpreted as the major shareholder directly conveying a strong commitment to boosting the stock price and responsible management to the market, acting as a powerful catalyst for buying.

The company has identified three main pillars for future growth. Specifically, these are: △ the advancement of the innovative hair regrowth treatment candidate “OND-1”; △ the expansion of the global non-human primate (NHP) core infrastructure business; and △ the establishment of an AI-based next-generation bio-platform. As a company that has demonstrated differentiated competitiveness in the laboratory animal production and preclinical research support markets for many years, Orient Bio plans to directly apply its accumulated experience in operating bio-infrastructure to the launch of these new businesses.

OND-1, a core asset in the new drug development sector, is the focus of significantly increased R&D capabilities and investment aimed at advancing to clinical trials and commercialization. In the laboratory animal sector, the company’s flagship business, demand for high-quality non-human primates is surging globally in line with the boom in global biopharmaceutical development. Accordingly, Orient Bio plans to proactively strengthen its overseas supply chain to further elevate its dominance in the global market.

Concurrently, the company is building a next-generation bio-digital platform that combines large-scale preclinical big data with artificial intelligence algorithms. The strategy is to digitize the processes of drug candidate screening and preclinical testing to maximize overall research efficiency and create a new cash cow through a “bio-as-a-service” business model. The company has made a concrete commitment to its shareholders that it will achieve a return to profitability in the upcoming fiscal year through these structural improvements and company-wide operational efficiency initiatives.

An Orient Bio official stated, “We are in the process of integrating high-value-added territories—new drug development and the AI bio-platform—onto the solid foundation of our high-quality laboratory animal infrastructure business, which is our core strength,” adding, “We will maximize mid- to long-term corporate value through tangible results that the market can accept and responsible management by major shareholders.”

L&C Bio: High Growth Expectations as ‘Re2O’ Gains Traction

L&C Bio, a company specializing in human tissue regenerative medicine, closed at 84,000 won—up 12.60% from the previous day—as expectations for revenue growth from its innovative extracellular matrix (ECM)-based regenerative solution “Re2O” combined with the results of its global academic marketing efforts to create synergy.

In fact, L&C Bio demonstrated its potential through its first-quarter earnings report. The company’s first-quarter revenue surged by a staggering 70.6% year-over-year to 30.3 billion won, and it successfully returned to profitability with an operating profit of 6 billion won. This achievement was made despite significant initial fixed costs, including the large-scale expansion of new production facilities and the massive recruitment of quality control personnel to meet the rapid increase in demand for Lituo. In fact, the company demonstrated remarkable profitability with a consolidated operating margin of 19.8% and a non-consolidated operating margin of 27.2%, perfectly proving both its external growth and sound management.

This signifies that Litou has successfully established itself in the premium medical market and has become the company’s main growth engine. Since its launch, Litou has gained traction through word of mouth, particularly among dermatologists and plastic surgeons, leading to a sharp rise in adoption rates. Moving beyond a mere trendy cosmetic product, it has taken on a pivotal role in restructuring L&C Bio’s mid-to-long-term business model to focus on high profitability.

Market attention is focused on the schedule for expanding production capacity to support Litwo’s rapid sales growth. The company is currently significantly ramping up Litou’s production capacity, which previously stood at 35,000 units per month. As of last month (May), it successfully established a production system capable of 80,000 units per month, and plans to aggressively expand capacity to 150,000 units per month starting this November. As the expanded production volume hits the market in the second half of the year, the pace of revenue growth is expected to accelerate further. Additionally, the company’s existing flagship product, the human tissue graft “Megaderm,” continues to serve as a solid cash cow based on robust clinical data and high market trust, completing an ideal portfolio that secures both stability and growth potential.

Expansion into the global market is also proceeding smoothly. L&C Bio announced on the 11th that it successfully hosted an exclusive webinar on “Lituo,” the world’s first acellular allogeneic dermal matrix (hADM)-based skin booster, for approximately 200 local medical professionals in Myanmar. During the seminar, the clinical mechanism of Litwo—which fundamentally reverses aging by restoring the skin’s native ECM environment—and precise injection techniques using the dedicated ‘i-ject B’ injector were shared, drawing overwhelming praise from local doctors in Southeast Asia.

An L&C Bio representative stated, “Litwo is just entering the early stages of massive global growth,” adding, “We will refine our integrated platform strategy to establish ourselves as a leading global regenerative medicine company with a unique position that encompasses the entire process, from diagnosis to treatment and tissue reconstruction.”