[Edaily Reporter KIM JI-WAN ] On the 15th, the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech sector could not escape “Black Thursday.” Most stocks were unable to avoid declines. In the pharmaceutical sector, only 12 out of 161 stocks posted gains. The life sciences sector fell by as much as 4.90%, with only 9 out of 92 stocks showing gains.

Amid the sluggish market conditions, companies such as DuChemBio Co, LTD, Yuhan, and Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd. showed notable performance.

Expectations for earnings growth at DuChemBio Co, LTD are rising as the domestic launch of “Kisunra” becomes more likely, following the launch of the Alzheimer’s disease treatment “Lecembi,” driven by expanding demand for amyloid PET diagnostic agents. Yuhan Corporation saw the potential for increased royalty revenue highlighted as the combination therapy of its new lung cancer drug “Lecraza” and J&J’s “Libravant” recorded global sales of $320 million in the third quarter. Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd. raised expectations for substantial earnings growth by securing its largest-ever sales pipeline in the fourth quarter, amid expanding equipment orders centered on global CROs and CDMOs.

DuChemBio Co, LTD Soars to Daily Limit… Expectations for ‘Kisunra’ Benefits Explode

DuChemBio Co.,LTD.(176750)hit

the daily price limit

. It is believed that expectations of a surge in demand for amyloid diagnostic agents—as the domestic launch of “Kisunra” becomes increasingly likely following the release of the Alzheimer’s disease treatment “Lecembi”—drove the stock price higher.

According to KG Zeroin MP Doctor, DuChemBio Co, LTD closed at 8,970 won, up 30.0% (2,070 won) from the previous trading day. The stock soared to the daily price limit and settled at the upper limit.

Prior to this sharp rise, Pharm Daily published an article on the 13th titled “‘Kisunra’ Once Again”… DuChemBio Co, LTD Smiles in the Dementia Drug Race, which highlighted DuChemBio Co, LTD’s potential for earnings growth driven by the expanding market for Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

DuChemBio Co, LTD exclusively manufactures and supplies the radiopharmaceuticals “Bizamil” and “NeuraCheck” in South Korea, which are used in amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scans. These diagnostic agents are used to detect amyloid-beta protein accumulation in the brain and to identify patients eligible for anti-amyloid therapies such as Lecembi and Kisunla.

In fact, sales related to these products have risen rapidly since the launch of Lecembi. DuChemBio Co, LTD’s sales of Vizamil and Neuracheck increased by approximately 47%, from 5.1 billion won in 2024 to 7.5 billion won last year. In the first half of this year, sales reached 4.55 billion won, a 38.2% increase compared to the same period last year.

Its market share is also overwhelming. Last year, the production value of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosing Alzheimer’s dementia in South Korea reached 12.27 billion won, an increase of approximately 53% from the previous year. Of this total, DuChemBio Co, LTD’s Vizamil and Neuracheck accounted for 11.81 billion won. Their market share, based on production value, reached 96.3%.

The market is watching the domestic launch of Eli Lilly’s Kisunra as an additional growth driver. Unlike Lecembi, with Kisunra, treatment discontinuation can be considered once amyloid plaques decrease below a certain level during the course of therapy. According to U.S. approval guidelines, PET scans are used to confirm this. Industry observers believe there is a high likelihood that Kisunra will receive approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) this month and be launched in Korea early next year.

A representative from Lilly Korea stated, “We are doing our best to secure rapid approval for Kisunra.”

If Kisunla is approved in Korea under the same conditions, it could generate demand not only for pre-treatment patient screening but also for additional testing during treatment.

To prepare for this increased demand, DuChemBio Co, LTD is pursuing investments in the manufacturing facility at Hanyang University Hospital and its production facility in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do. The company also plans to respond to short-term supply increases by expanding the number of production runs at its existing manufacturing centers.

Kim Seung-woo, Executive Vice President and Head of the Growth Strategy Division at DuChemBio Co, LTD, emphasized, “Generally, we run three production cycles during an 8-hour workday, but at manufacturing centers with high demand, we are running up to five cycles,” adding, “By increasing the number of production cycles, we can meet additional demand in line with the supply schedules requested by hospitals.”

Yuhan Corporation Jumps 4%… ‘Cheers’ as Lecraza Combination Therapy Sales Surpass $300 Million

Yuhan(000100)showed strong gains. The stock price is believed to have been driven up by expectations of increased royalty revenue, as global sales of the Korean-developed lung cancer drug “Lecraza” (active ingredient: lazertinib) for combination therapy

surpassed $300 million

in a single quarter for the first time ever.

On that day, Yuhan Corporation closed at 75,600 won, up 3.99% (2,900 won) from the previous trading day. Analysts attribute this to news that the combination therapy of Lecraza and Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) “LibriVant” (active ingredient: amivantamab) is experiencing rapid growth in the global non-small cell lung cancer market, which stimulated investor sentiment.

According to J&J’s third-quarter earnings report released on the 13th, global sales of the combination therapy of Lecraza (known overseas as Razcluz) and Librivant totaled $320 million (approximately 430 billion won). This represents a 62.3% increase compared to the same period last year. It also represents a 10.7% increase compared to the previous quarter (Q2: $289 million).

Growth outside the U.S. was particularly notable. U.S. sales totaled $201 million, a 47.9% increase year-over-year. During the same period, sales outside the U.S. surged 94.5% to $119 million. Cumulative global sales for the first three quarters of this year totaled $866 million (approximately 1.16 trillion won), a 67.4% increase compared to the same period last year.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines include Librivant subcutaneous (SC) formulation as a preferred therapy. The introduction of the Librivant SC formulation and its inclusion as a preferred therapy in the NCCN guidelines have positively contributed to increased prescribing. In particular, the assignment of a J-code for insurance claims related to the SC formulation in the U.S. has reduced the administrative burden on healthcare institutions.

Market attention is now focused on Yuhan Corporation’s royalty revenue. Since Yuhan licensed the technology for Lecraz to J&J, an increase in recurring technology royalties is expected as global sales expand.

Long-term survival data from the global Phase 3 “MARIPOSA” clinical trial is cited as a key variable that will determine future stock prices and earnings. Analysts suggest that if the improvement in survival compared to competing therapies becomes even more pronounced, the position of Lecraza combination therapy in the global first-line treatment market could be further strengthened.

Lee Ji-won, an analyst at HEUNGKUK METALTECH CO.,LTD., stated, “If the expected overall survival (OS) from the MARIPOSA trial is significantly higher than that of competing drugs, future prescription volumes for Lecraza are highly likely to follow a J-curve and show a steep upward trend,” adding, “We have a positive outlook on the profit growth momentum at Yuhan driven by the expansion of Lecraza prescriptions.”

Curiox: Expectations for a “Record-High” Fourth Quarter Amid Expanded Third-Quarter Orders

Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd.(445680)surged nearly 8%. This is believed to have been driven by news that, following the securing of multiple equipment orders every month in the third quarter of this year, the company has built its largest-ever sales pipeline for the fourth quarter since its founding.

On that day, Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd. closed at 57,000 won, up 7.95% (4,200 won) from the previous trading day. Analysts attribute this to growing expectations for substantial earnings growth as equipment adoption expands, particularly among major global contract research organizations (CROs) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).

In its October investor relations (IR) letter, Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd. stated, “We secured multiple equipment orders every month from July through September,” adding, “In particular, in September, we received an order worth approximately 700 million won for multiple units of our ‘Pluto HT’ automated cell analysis pretreatment equipment from one of the top five global CROs.”

The likelihood of securing additional orders is also increasing.

The company explained, “The quality control (QC) department of a top-tier global CDMO has decided to adopt the Pluto Workstation and plans to place its first order in the fourth quarter,” adding, “The fact that the QC department of this extremely conservative top-tier CDMO has decided to adopt the system means that rigorous technical validation has been successfully completed.”

In particular, the company emphasized that it began the fourth quarter with its largest sales pipeline since its founding.

Curiox Biosystems Co., Ltd. stated, “Since June of this year, more than 70% of orders have been purchases intended to ensure consistent results across multiple sites,” adding, “Since the initial purchase was made with the premise of expansion to multiple sites, we can expect subsequent orders to be larger than the first.”

Efforts to expand equipment supply are also underway in the Chinese market. The company explained, “Research-oriented universities in China are in the process of replacing some of their existing centrifuges with the Pluto ALPHA,” adding, “We are preparing for a purchase of 10 units this month, and our goal is to install one or two units in approximately 50 biology laboratories by 2027.”

Research on standardizing cell analysis by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is another factor fueling optimism. On the 28th of last month, a preliminary research paper was published in the international academic journal *Frontiers in Immunology*.

The company stated, “We understand that the final results of the second study are in the final stages of completion, and we expect our company name and product name to be included in the paper.” Joint research on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has also finalized the detailed terms, with only administrative procedures remaining.