[E-Daily Minji Son Reporter] On the 9th, the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech stock market saw mixed results across individual stocks. While Peptron, Inc. hit the daily price limit down in after-hours trading, NATURECELL CO.,LTD. and BL Pharmtech both hit the daily price limit up, showing strong gains.

Peptron, Inc.

After-Hours ‘Daily

’ Amid Correction on Expectations for Eli Lilly Main Contract

According to KG Zeroin MP Doctor (MP Doctor, formerly Marketpoint), Peptron, Inc. closed at 159,300 won during regular trading hours, down 0.69% (1,100 won). However, in after-hours trading, the stock plummeted as much as 29.99% as investor sentiment sharply deteriorated following fading expectations of a collaboration with a global big pharma company on a long-acting obesity treatment.

That day, Choi Ho-il, CEO of Peptron, Inc., spoke at the “Shinhan Bio Forum in Daejeon 2026” held at the Intercity Hotel in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, stating, “We are jointly developing a peptide formulation that is completely different from that of Company L,” and added, “Terzetafide is not included. (That project) appears to have been conducted with Carmus.”

Previously, Peptron, Inc. had signed a technology evaluation agreement with global pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly for its long-acting drug delivery platform, “SmartDepo.” As the evaluation period for this agreement was set to conclude this October, market expectations had been growing that the agreement would transition into a full-scale contract following the evaluation.

In particular, there had been expectations that Turzetapatide—an active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s obesity and diabetes treatments—could be integrated with Peptron, Inc.’s long-acting formulation technology; however, CEO Choi’s statement that it is not included in the joint development scope appears to have dampened some of those expectations.

Rather, CEO Choi’s remarks are interpreted to mean that Eli Lilly’s collaboration strategy is focused on other peptide formulations or the central nervous system (CNS) disease area, rather than the long-acting formulation of turzetapatide that the market had anticipated. CEO Choi said, “Following Tuzetapide, there will be many drugs focused on Parkinson’s disease, alcohol addiction, and brain CNS diseases,” adding, “We are concentrating on that area and are developing these drugs together.”

NATURECELL CO.,LTD. Shares Rise on Expectations of MFDS Re-evaluation of JointStem

LTD

NATURECELL CO.,LTD. closed at 28,250 won today, up 29.89% (6,500 won) from the previous trading day.

The sharp rise in the stock price is interpreted as reflecting expectations that the marketing authorization process for “JointStem,” a stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis, may be reopened. On the same day, NATURECELL CO.,LTD. announced in a regulatory filing that its affiliate, AlBio, had won the first-instance trial in a lawsuit filed against the Minister of Food and Drug Safety seeking the revocation of the rejection of JointStem’s marketing authorization.

NATURECELL CO.,LTD. had previously received three rejection notices from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) regarding JointStem, citing “lack of clinical significance.” In 2018, the company applied for conditional marketing authorization for JointStem in South Korea but was rejected; in 2021, it applied for full marketing authorization, only to be rejected again in 2023. In 2024, the company resubmitted the marketing authorization application through Albio along with supplementary data, but received another rejection notice last August. Consequently, NATURECELL CO.,LTD. filed an administrative lawsuit through Albio last September seeking the revocation of the rejection of the JointStem marketing authorization.

Following this ruling, the approval review process for JointStem is expected to resume if the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) does not appeal. This is because, once the first-instance ruling becomes final, the MFDS will be required to re-evaluate JointStem’s marketing authorization from scratch.

A NATURECELL CO.,LTD. official stated, “We hope the decision on whether to appeal will be handled in line with the government’s recent policy of refraining from appeals,” adding, “If the process resumes, we expect a conclusion as early as the third quarter or, at the latest, by the end of this year.”

BL Pharmtech Hits Daily Price Limit Amid Optimism Over Molecular Adhesive-Based Anticancer Drug

On that day, BL Pharmtech closed at 3,910 won, up 29.90% (900 won) from the previous trading day. It appears that investors were drawn to the company after its molecular adhesive-based anticancer drug candidate “ML301” garnered attention at “BIO USA 2026,” recently held in San Diego, U.S. ML301 is a molecular adhesive degrader candidate targeting intractable solid tumors that relies on the alternative telomere lengthening (ALT) mechanism.

During the event, BL Pharmtech held partnering meetings with global companies in the fields of antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and targeted protein degradation (TPD), and achieved results such as signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with some of these companies. Consequently, the market is paying close attention to the possibility that ML301 could lead to future joint research or a license-out deal.

In addition, expectations regarding resource development, spurred by President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Mongolia, appear to have contributed to the stock price increase. On that day, President Lee Jae-myung stated, “The two countries established the Korea-Mongolia Rare Metals Cooperation Committee in 2023 to create a framework for institutional cooperation, and Korean companies have been investing in and participating in various mineral exploration and development projects in Mongolia, including bituminous coal, tungsten, and copper.” He added, “We must move beyond simply participating in mine development and create a win-win supply chain cooperation model that adds value.”

In 2010, BL Pharmtech, in a consortium with the Korea Coal Corporation, acquired a stake in the Huthgorshana coal mine in Mongolia. However, analysts suggest that the stock price surge related to this mine is driven more by policy expectations than by confirmed contributions to earnings or the results of the sale.