[Edaily Reporter SONG YOUNG-DOO ] Pharmaceutical and biotech stocks, which had been weak across the board the previous day, saw share price fluctuations driven by individual developments on the 14th. Among them, Inventage Lab Inc. drew attention by rising more than 14% on the news of a decision to grant a U.S. patent for its 12-month sustained-release veterinary drug formulation technology and expectations for global commercialization. Qurient Co., Ltd. also posted strong gains following the announcement of a dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform being jointly commercialized with Lonza. In contrast, HanmiPharm fell more than 10% despite the disclosure of the price for its new obesity drug “Epe,” as concerns about its competitiveness compounded with worries over its financial performance.

Inventage Lab Inc. Rebounds on U.S. Patent… “Reflects Optimism About Existing Business”

According to KG Zeroin MP Doctor on the 14th, Inventage Lab Inc.(389470)closed at 26,700 won, up 14.35% (3,350 won) from the previous trading day. The company announced that day it had received a decision granting a U.S. patent for its 12-month sustained-release peptide injection technology applicable to chemical castration agents for animals. This is a joint project with a global animal health company that has been developing and commercializing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist-based products for the non-surgical sterilization of companion animals. The name of the partner company was not disclosed.

This patent grant signifies that the company has extended its long-acting peptide formulation technology to a 12-month dosing cycle and established a foundation for securing rights in the U.S. The company explained that it is currently engaged in follow-up commercialization discussions with its partner, including finalizing the manufacturing hub for the commercial product and the technology transfer of the “IVL-DrugFluidic” manufacturing platform.

The business structure, which involves transferring not only the formulation but also the manufacturing equipment and processes as a package, was also highlighted. Inventage Lab Inc. emphasizes its strength in designing and developing manufacturing equipment and processes tailored to the formulation’s characteristics, thereby supporting its partner’s expansion of production scale and establishment of a commercial production system. The company explained that if the collaboration leads to a contract, it can expect additional revenue from the transfer of equipment and process technology, in addition to revenue from formulation development.

The company attributed the day’s rise in part to a rebound from recent declines. An Inventage Lab Inc. official stated, “As the market has recently been falling, our stock price dropped significantly along with the broader market without any specific issues,” adding, “We believe the rebound was amplified by the business-related expectations we’ve communicated to the market, coupled with today’s announcement regarding the U.S. patent registration decision.”

Business discussions with European partners and the expansion of evaluations for the subcutaneous (SC) formulation platform are also factors cited by the company as sources of optimism. The official explained, “During a recent business trip to Europe, we held business discussions with various companies, including those in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector, and have been communicating these developments to investors,” adding that the number of Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) related to the SC formulation platform “Bioflow” has increased to approximately six.

Qurient Co., Ltd.: Investor Sentiment Rises Following Announcement of ADC Platform Partnership with Lonza

Qurient Co., Ltd.(115180)Curient’s stock rose on expectations surrounding the dual-payload ADC platform business it is pursuing with its global partner, Lonza. The stock closed at 21,400 won, up 9.18% (1,800 won) from the previous day.

The company announced that Lonza had unveiled the two companies’ joint platform, “SYN-duo CC,” for the first time at the “17th World ADC 2026” conference held in San Diego, U.S.

Following the announcement of a joint commercialization agreement the previous day, the presentation of the platform’s technical features and development data at a global academic conference highlighted expectations for subsequent commercialization. Earlier, on the 12th (local time), Lonza announced that it had signed an exclusive licensing agreement to use Qurient Co., Ltd.’s cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor in the dual-payload ADC field.

The core of the agreement is to combine Qurient Co., Ltd.’s CDK7 inhibitor with Lonza’s linker and payload technologies and provide them to global pharmaceutical companies.

The revenue structure is focused not on Qurient Co., Ltd. transferring the technology to Lonza and receiving an upfront payment and milestones, but rather on both companies jointly advancing the platform business and sharing revenue generated from future technology transfers to third parties. Upfront payments, milestones, and royalties will be split according to an agreed-upon ratio.

Another key feature is that the agreement is not limited to a single ADC candidate. Since the platform can be applied to different targets across multiple pharmaceutical companies, Qurient Co., Ltd. will receive a share of the revenue each time a subsequent technology transfer agreement is signed. This establishes a foundation for generating recurring revenue from numerous ADC development projects.

A dual-payload ADC is a method of loading two drugs with different mechanisms of action onto a single antibody. The development goal is to address the issues of resistance and treatment failure associated with existing ADCs, which rely on a limited class of drugs.

Qurient Co., Ltd.’s candidate compound “QP101,” which employs the same structure, was also introduced during the conference presentation. According to the company, QP101 demonstrated improved tumor suppression compared to Enhertu in Enhertu-resistant and HER2-positive patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. However, as these are preclinical results, efficacy and safety in humans must be confirmed through clinical trials.

Nam Ki-yeon, CEO of Qurient Co., Ltd., stated, “Through our partnership with Lonza, we have paved the way for new drug development companies worldwide to easily utilize Qurient Co., Ltd.’s CDK7 inhibitor payload within Lonza’s global network,” adding, “We will open our dual-payload ADC platform to the global biotech industry as a whole to accelerate the development of next-generation ADCs.”

HanmiPharm Plummets After Revealing Epe Price... Down for Four Consecutive Trading Days Since Approval

HanmiPharm(128940)Hanmi Pharmaceutical continued its downward trend even after the approval of Epe, a domestically developed GLP-1-based obesity treatment. While the closing price on the 7th—the day Epe was approved—was 534,000 won, it fell to 404,500 won on this day. This represents a 24.25% decline from the day of approval, marking four consecutive trading days of decline since approval.

According to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry on this day, the prices for Epe by dosage were disclosed. The wholesale price per pen is 24,200 won for 2 mg, 40,700 won for 4 mg, 57,200 won for 6 mg, 69,300 won for 8 mg, and 74,800 won for 10 mg. Based on once-weekly administration, a four-week supply costs 96,800 won for the 2mg dose and 162,800 won for the 4mg dose. The cost rises to 228,800 won for the 6mg dose, 277,200 won for the 8mg dose, and 299,200 won for the 10mg dose.

While there is room to reduce the financial burden at the start of treatment with lower doses, the cost after dose escalation is set at over 100,000 won per month. In particular, the wholesale price for a four-week supply of the 10mg dose is reported to be approximately 300,000 won, and analysts suggest this is likely to be seen as a burden by investors who had hoped to expand the market through lower prices.

HanmiPharm explained that while it is difficult to disclose specific prices for “Efe,” “the pricing was set with patient accessibility as the top priority,” adding, “We place greater emphasis on the value of promoting public health rather than simple price competition.” The company also noted, “Since ‘Efe’ is a non-reimbursed prescription drug, the company’s supply price differs from the actual out-of-pocket cost to patients.” The company did not disclose the specific price, citing that the final cost may vary depending on the medical institution’s treatment and prescription practices, and that disclosing the supply price could lead to confusion regarding the patient’s out-of-pocket cost.

In addition to pricing concerns, worries about financial performance also surfaced. On the same day, KIWOOM Securities lowered its target price for HanmiPharm, forecasting that the company’s third-quarter earnings would fall short of market expectations due to delays in recognizing technology transfer contract payments and the burden of research and development expenses.