Pharma News: Samsung BioLogics plans IPO worth up to $2.6B

Samsung BioLogics plans IPO worth up to $2.6B

The IPO for one of the world’s largest manufacturers of biologic drugs could be worth as much as $2.6 billion. Samsung Group is planning to list its subsidiary Samsung BioLogics on South Korea’s main stock exchange later this year.

Through the IPO, Samsung BioLogics aims to secure funds for investments and research into technology innovation. The exact timing and size of the listing have not yet been determined.

Research firm Evaluate Pharma has predicted that the global biopharmaceutical industry will grow to almost $278 billion by 2020, expanding at an annual rate of more than 8 percent on average, driven by an aging population and the development of medical technology.

Study reveals market potential for pharmaceutical hemp

A pharmaceutical derived from industrial hemp, non-psychotropic Cannabinoid CBD, has strong market potential, according to a recent study.

In the European Union industrial hemp grew from a cultivation area of 8,000 hectacres in 2011 to 25,000 hectacres in 2015, due to demand from food, nutritional supplement industries and pharmaceutical sectors. According to the "Market Study on Cannabidiol (CBD)," 87.5 percent identify the potential for growth as CBD’s biggest strength in Europe and North America.

If it were to be used as medicine for chronic diseases, Cannabinoid has a minimum market penetration potential of €24 million and upper potential of €2 billion in Europe. Even that minimum potential would put it on a level with over-the-counter medicine such as valerian

New catalyst for fine chemical synthesis to be commercialized

A new technology for synthesis of fine chemicals will be commercialized to serve the pharmaceutical industry. GreenCentre Canada and Chiral Technologies Inc., a enantioselective chromatography company, will jointly release it. Unlike catalysts in the fine chemical industry that often result in excess waste and a lack of reusability, the metal-based catalyst is physically attached to a solid support in the new "flow" reaction system.

Originally invented by Professor Steve Bergens at the University of Alberta, the technology allows expensive, metal-based catalysts to be attached for use in flow reactor systems. Recent results from industrially sponsored projects have demonstrated a high level of catalyst activity and reuse, making the system attractive for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compounds.