[Click eStock] ABL Bio, Noted as a Beneficiary Stock of SK Biopharm's IPO

Korea Investment & Securities Report Advises Attention to Brain Disease Treatment Companies
Bispecific Antibodies, ADC Platform Value Reappraised; 1.4 Trillion KRW Export Experience Seen as Positive Factor

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] Korea Investment & Securities expressed on the 16th that interest in ABL Bio (hereinafter ABL) could increase following the domestic listing of SK Biopharm, which holds two brain disease treatments.

Jin Hong-guk, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, said, "The listing of SK Biopharm, which launched two brain disease treatments in the United States, will serve as an opportunity to confirm the potential of brain disease treatment developers," adding, "Attention is needed for brain disease treatment companies including ABL."

ABL (ABL-301) targets alpha-synuclein, the cause of Parkinson's disease. Although it is in the preclinical stage, it has advantages such as excellent safety, a long half-life, and ease of implementation through animal models. It is currently discussing technology transfers with about 15 global top 20 big pharma partners. It is expected to achieve platform technology transfer results in the second half of the year.

The brain disease treatment market size was $84 billion as of 2018, ranking third after anticancer drugs ($124 billion) and infectious diseases ($96 billion).

The value of bispecific antibody and ADC platforms is being re-evaluated in the global market, so ABL’s corporate value, which possesses related technologies, is expected to be reassessed. On the 10th, global big pharma Abbvie signed a joint development and commercialization agreement for three bispecific antibody candidates targeting hematologic and solid cancers from Denmark’s Genmab. The company will receive a signing bonus of $750 million and up to $3.15 billion in milestone technology transfer revenues. Earlier in April, the U.S. company Immunomedics, which received FDA approval for an ADC anticancer drug, surpassed a market capitalization of $7 billion.

Researcher Jin Hong-guk said, "Recently, platform companies such as Alteogen, Cellivery, and LegoChem Bio have seen sharp rises in their stock prices," adding, "This is because the platform nature is recognized for the possibility of repeated technology exports."

ABL owns three platforms: GrabodyT, Grabody I, and Grabody B, and the company already has experience with five technology exports totaling 1.4 trillion KRW. On the 22nd, ABL will present research results of four pipelines at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Also, ABL-001, which was in clinical phase 1a, is preparing to enter phases 1b/2.

Researcher Jin forecasted, "With a favorable development environment and visible achievements, ABL’s corporate value will increase further."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.