The KOSPI pharmaceutical stocks, which had been burning for August and relieving the slump of the first half, cooled down in the cold wind of fall.
The pharmaceuticals index, which started at 18,000 in August and exceeded 21,000 points, began at 21,000 in September and eventually returned to 18,000 points on the last day.
Among them, 38 out of 45 stocks in the pharmaceuticals index declined from the end of the previous month (based on the closing price of September), and the combined market cap of the 45 stocks also decreased by KRW 17 trillion, or 10%.
The stock price of Bukwang Pharmaceutical fell 30.9% during this period, the largest drop among the 45 stocks.
Due to the news of the withdrawal of the development of Levovir as a treatment for COVID-19 on the last day of September, Bukwang Pharmaceutical saw a sharp drop.
During the same period, Shin Poong Pharmaceutical’s stock price also fell by nearly 20%, and 12 stocks, including Kukje Pharma, Green Cross, SK Bioscience, Kyongbo Pharmaceutical, CKD Bio, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Celltrion, HanAll Biopharma, Daewon Pharmaceutical, and Hanmi Pharmaceutical, dropped by double-digit.
Samsung Biologics, JW Lifescience, Yuyu Pharma, and Pharmicell declined nearly 10%, and more than half of the pharmaceutical index, including Il-Yang Pharmaceutical, Jeil Pharmaceutical, Hyundai Pharmaceutical, Handok, Samsung Pharmaceutical, Chong Kun Dang Holdings, Samjin Pharmaceutical, Yungjin Pharm., Samil Pharmaceutical, and Aprogen Pharmaceuticals, JW Pharmaceutical, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical, and Myungmoon Pharmaceutical, fell by more than 5%.
In addition, Dongsung Pharmaceutical, Whanin Pharmaceutical, Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical, Il Dong Pharmaceutical, Boryung Pharmaceutical, Dong-A ST, Hana Pharm, Yuhan Corp., and Ilsung Pharmaceutical saw their stock prices fall from the end of the previous month.
On the other hand, despite the bearish market, PharmGen Science’s stock price soared 42.4%, and Dong Wha Pharm also recorded an increase of more than 20%.
ORIENTBIO also posted a double-digit increase, but the increase of the rest of the stocks, Gene One Life Science, Il Dong Holdings, and Korea United Pharm. did not exceed 5%.
Meanwhile, the market capitalization (excluding preferred stocks) of the pharmaceuticals index, which rose to KRW 167 trillion at the end of August, also plunged more than KRW 17 trillion and fell below KRW 150 trillion as the three bio giants, Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, and SK Bioscience slid by around 10%.
In particular, the combined market cap of these three giants was reduced by nearly KRW 14 trillion, Samsung Biologics by KRW 6 trillion, Celltrion by KRW 4.6 trillion, and SK Bioscience by KRW 3.3 trillion.
Shin Poong Pharmaceutical decreased by KRW 710 billion, Green Cross by 625.2 billion, Bukwang Pharmaceutical by 476.1 billion, Hanmi Pharmaceutical by 410.7 billion, Daewoong Pharmaceutical by 237.5 billion, and HanAll Biopharma by 141 billion.
However, none of the stocks saw their market capitalization increase by more than KRW 100 billion during this period.
As of the end of September, Samsung Biologics with KRW 57.8282 trillion, Celltrion with KRW 35.7641 trillion, and SK Bioscience with KRW 20.6933 trillion formed the leading group in market capitalization value, while Yuhan Corp. took the lead with KRW 4.3033 trillion among traditional pharmaceutical stocks.
In August, Green Cross, which headed the traditional pharmaceutical stocks, backed down to KRW 3.8741 trillion, followed by Hanmi Pharmaceutical with KRW 3.3215 trillion, and Shin Poong Pharmaceutical with KRW 3.0307 trillion.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical maintained the KRW 1 trillion mark with KRW 1.6858 trillion, Gene One Life Science with KRW 1.5508 trillion, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical with KRW 1.3768 trillion, Boryung Pharmaceutical with KRW 1.1093 trillion, HanAll Biopharma with KRW 1.1075 trillion, and Bukwang Pharmaceutical with KRW 1.0659 trillion.
