[Min Ji-Son, Edaily Reporter] On July 9, South Korean pharmaceutical and biotech stocks saw sharply divergent movements, with Nature Cell and BL Pharmtech both hitting the daily upper limit, while Peptron tumbled to the lower limit in after-hours trading.

Peptron Plummets in After-Hours Trading as Lilly Expectations Fade

According to KG Zeroin’s MP Doctor platform, Peptron closed the regular session down 0.69% at 159,300 won. However, the stock extended its losses in after-hours trading, plunging as much as 29.99% as investor sentiment weakened sharply amid concerns that expectations for a partnership with a global pharmaceutical company regarding a long-acting obesity drug may have been overstated.

The sell-off followed remarks by CEO Choi Ho-il at the “Shinhan Bio Forum in Daejeon 2026,” held at the InterCity Hotel in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.

“We are co-developing a completely different peptide formulation with Company L,” Choi said. “Tirzepatide is not included. I believe that project was conducted with Carmot.”

Peptron had previously signed a technology evaluation agreement with U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly and Company for its long-acting drug delivery platform, SmartDepot. With the evaluation period set to end in October, the market had increasingly speculated that the deal could lead to a full licensing or commercialization agreement.

In particular, investors had speculated that tirzepatide—Lilly’s blockbuster active ingredient for obesity and diabetes treatment—could be paired with Peptron’s long-acting formulation technology. Choi’s remarks appeared to dampen those expectations by clarifying that tirzepatide was not part of the joint development effort.

Instead, the comments suggested that Lilly’s collaboration with Peptron may be focused on other peptide formulations or on central nervous system (CNS) disease candidates rather than a long-acting tirzepatide product.

“After tirzepatide, many of the drugs coming out are focused on Parkinson’s disease, alcohol addiction, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders,” Choi said. “That is where the focus is, and we are developing them together.”

Nature Cell

Surge on Hopes of JointStem Review Reopening

Nature Cell rose 29.89% to close at 28,250 won, according to KG Zeroin’s MP Doctor platform.

The stock rallied after the company announced that its affiliate, R Bio, had won a first-instance court ruling in an administrative lawsuit seeking to overturn the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s rejection of JointStem, a stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis.

Investors appeared to interpret the ruling as reopening the path for regulatory review of the treatment, which has faced repeated setbacks over the past several years.

Nature Cell has received three rejection notices from the Korean regulator regarding JointStem, largely on the grounds of insufficient clinical significance. The company first sought conditional approval in 2018, then applied for full approval in 2021, only to be rejected again in 2023. In 2024, R Bio resubmitted the application with supplementary data, but the regulator rejected it once more in August of last year. Nature Cell then filed an administrative lawsuit through R Bio in September.

If the regulator chooses not to appeal the latest ruling, the approval review process for JointStem is expected to resume. Once the court decision becomes final, the ministry would have to reexamine the application from the beginning.

A Nature Cell official said the company hopes the government will refrain from appealing, in line with its recent stance of limiting appeals in administrative cases. If the process resumes, the company expects a conclusion as early as the third quarter and no later than year-end.

BL Pharmtech surges on hopes for molecular glue cancer drug

BL Pharmtech also hit the daily limit, climbing 29.9% to 3,910 won.

The rally appeared to reflect investor optimism regarding ML301, the company’s molecular glue-based oncology candidate, which drew attention at BIO USA 2026 in San Diego. ML301 is being developed as a molecular glue degrader targeting hard-to-treat solid tumors that depend on the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway.

During the event, BL Pharmtech held partnering meetings with global companies active in antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and targeted protein degradation. The company also signed non-disclosure agreements with some counterparties, raising expectations that ML301 could eventually lead to joint research or licensing discussions.

Shares may also have benefited from renewed policy-driven interest in resource development linked to Mongolia following President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Mongolia.

Lee said on Wednesday that South Korea and Mongolia should move beyond simply participating in mining development projects and build a mutually beneficial supply chain cooperation model that adds value. He noted that Korean companies have already invested in Mongolian exploration projects involving coking coal, tungsten, and copper.

BL Pharmtech had previously acquired a stake in the Hutag Shaanaga coal mine in Mongolia in 2010 through a consortium with Korea Coal Corporation. Still, market participants said the stock’s rally appeared to be more a result of theme-driven buying tied to policy expectations than a move supported by visible earnings contributions or monetization from the mining asset.