[Edaily Reporter Minji Son ] On the 31st, domestic pharmaceutical and biotech stocks showed a broadly strong performance, buoyed by a market rebound. Although there were quite a few stocks without any clear individual catalysts, share prices rebounded across the board as bargain-hunting buying flowed into growth and biotech stocks that had recently suffered sharp declines. Among them, #Orum Therapeutics, Inc., #G2GBIO, Inc., and #Kanaph Therapeutics Inc. showed particularly strong gains.

Market observers attribute the day’s gains less to new developments at individual companies and more to a broader recovery in risk appetite across the market and a rotation into biotech stocks. However, analysts note that each company’s technology platforms, track record of technology transfers, and R&D schedules for the second half of the year also served as factors attracting buying interest.

Orum Therapeutics, Inc. Soars 18%… Attention on ‘ORM-1153’ IND Submission by Year-End

According to KG

Doctor (formerly Marketpoint), Orum Therapeutics, Inc. closed at 44,600 won on the KOSDAQ market today, up 17.99% (6,800 won) from the previous trading day.

No specific new announcements or positive news driving the day’s stock price rise were identified. Amid a sharp rebound in the domestic stock market that has revived risk appetite, funds have flowed into biotech stocks in general—which had recently suffered significant declines—leading to a surge in bargain-hunting buying for Orum Therapeutics, Inc.

However, it appears that the rarity of Orum Therapeutics, Inc.’s antibody-drug conjugate (DAC) platform and its track record of technology transfers with established global pharmaceutical companies are contributing to the recovery in investor sentiment.

Previously, Orum Therapeutics, Inc. secured a $100 million upfront payment by licensing ORM-6151—which received approval to enter Phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. in 2023—to Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). The following year, the company also signed a technology transfer agreement worth hundreds of millions of won with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, covering up to three targets. These consecutive global deals have been widely recognized as demonstrating the commercial potential of its platform technology.

In the second half of the year, the progress of R&D in the company’s proprietary pipeline is expected to be a key point of interest. This is because, following the success of technology transfers, whether the company’s proprietary candidates enter clinical trials could influence its future valuation.

An Orum Therapeutics, Inc. official stated, “We are preparing to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for our lead asset, ORM-1153, by the end of the year, and preparations are proceeding smoothly so far,” adding, “Our second lead asset, ORM-1023, is scheduled to be selected as a development candidate following the exploratory phase.”

G2GBIO, Inc. Jumps 17%… Collaboration with Celltrion on Antibody SC Formulations Gains Attention

On this day, G2GBIO, Inc. closed at 26,950 won, up 17.43% (4,000 won) from the previous trading day.

This is believed to be driven by the announcement the previous day of a collaboration with Celltrion on ultra-high-concentration antibody subcutaneous (SC) formulation platform technology, which stimulated investor sentiment. G2GBIO, Inc. signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Celltrion, including a material transfer agreement (MTA), and agreed to validate the applicability of its proprietary high-concentration microparticle platform, “InnoBioLamp,” to antibody drugs.

The market views this collaboration as a positive development, as it allows the company to expand its business scope from its existing long-acting injectables—which are primarily synthetic drugs and peptides—into the field of antibody drug formulations. Expectations that the company can expand its business with its existing long-acting injectables and antibody SC formulations as its two main pillars are reflected in the stock price.

According to the PharmEdaily article titled “Lee Hee-yong, CEO of G2GBIO, Inc.: ‘Antibody SC Formulations Are the Growth Pillar That Will Drive Our Second Leap Forward,’” published today as part of E-Daily’s premium pharma and biotech content, G2GBIO, Inc. CEO Lee Hee-yong stated in an interview with PharmEdaily on the 30th: “If microparticle technology was G2GBIO, Inc.’s first growth engine, then antibody subcutaneous formulations are the growth engine for our second leap forward,” adding, “To develop actual therapeutic antibodies into ultra-high-concentration subcutaneous injections, we must naturally go through preclinical and clinical trials. We have already completed a significant portion of the laboratory-stage research that can be conducted prior to that, and we plan to ultra-high-concentrate various antibodies according to our future schedule.”

Meanwhile, antibody drugs often require high doses and, due to their large molecular size, are frequently administered via intravenous (IV) injection. To switch to subcutaneous (SC) administration, the antibodies must be highly concentrated so that the existing dose can be delivered within a limited injection volume. However, there is a limitation: as concentration increases, viscosity and the likelihood of protein aggregation also rise, making it difficult to ensure both ease of administration and stability simultaneously. To address this, G2GBIO, Inc. plans to achieve both high concentration and injectability by converting the antibody into microparticles and dispersing them in a carrier.

Kanaph Therapeutics Inc. Soars Along with the Biotech Stock Rebound

Kanaph Therapeutics Inc. closed at 10,750 won today, up 16.34% (1,510 won) from the previous trading day.

No new announcements or positive news that specifically drove the rise in Kanaph Therapeutics Inc.’s stock price were identified. It is believed that the stock market rebound, which brought buying momentum to biotech stocks across the board, bolstered investor sentiment, fueled by expectations regarding Kanaph Therapeutics Inc.’s technology transfer efforts and the clinical progress of its partner companies’ pipelines.

Kanaph Therapeutics Inc. is employing a so-called “relay race” strategy, in which it transfers candidate compounds to domestic pharmaceutical companies at an early stage, secures clinical data through its partners, and then uses that data to pursue global technology re-transfers. Representative pipeline candidates include the EP2/EP4 dual inhibitor KNP-502, licensed to OSCOTEC Inc., and the SOS1 inhibitor KNP-504, licensed to Yuhan. The company plans to enhance the value of its candidate compounds during the clinical phase to facilitate subsequent global technology transfers.

A Kanaph Therapeutics Inc. official stated, “We believe today’s stock price movement was largely influenced by the overall volatility of the stock market, which caused biotech stocks to move in tandem, rather than by any specific positive news,” adding, “We are continuously pursuing global technology transfers, and the clinical trials being conducted by our partners are proceeding smoothly.”