Abpro Corp. is making another attempt to go public, this time by merging with Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II. The merger would put Abpro’s company value at $725 million. Atlantic Coastal is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that went public in January 2022. Its stock (NASDAQ:ACAB) closed Sept. 22 at $10.63 per share.
Wuhan YZY Biopharma Co. Ltd. made its debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising HK$121 million (US$15.48 million) in its IPO on Sept. 22, with shares (HKEX:02496) opening at the lower end of its range at HK$16 per share and ending the day at HK$16.60, a rise of 3.75%.
In the daunting shadow of previous years’ numbers, two companies jumped into this year’s relatively tepid IPO market. Rayzebio Inc. priced its upsized $311 million IPO of 17.2 million shares at $18 each. Gross proceeds of about $290.1 million are expected by the radiopharmaceutical cancer therapy developer. On Sept. 15, shares (NASDAQ:RYZB) closed up 33.3% at $24 each. Also, Neumora Therapeutics Inc. priced its IPO of 14.7 million shares at $17 each, looking for gross proceeds of about $250 million. The company, which is developing seven products targeting brain diseases, saw shares (NASDAQ:NMRA) close 4.4% downward at $16.25 on Sept. 15.
After raising HKD$320 million (US$40.8 million) in its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week, Immuneonco Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s stock has continued to rise, and analysts are expecting the Hong Kong market to pick up after a slack start to the year.
South Korean CAR T developer Curocell Inc. said on Sept. 8 that it passed a preliminary screening to list on Kosdaq – news that comes four months after its application was made to the Korea exchange on May 2, 2023, and a year after its first failed application in January 2022.
On Aug. 3, Sunho Biologics Inc. filed to list on the Hong Kong Exchange, armed with its antibody and immunocytokine drug pipeline and post-investment valuation of ¥1.41 billion (US$196 million).
Hangzhou and New Jersey-based cancer biotech Adlai Nortye Ltd. – formerly Hangzhou Nuotai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. – announced plans to list on Nasdaq with its U.S. IPO filed on July 27.
Pursuing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), Turnstone Biologics Inc. raised about $80 million in an IPO, offering 6.7 million shares at $12 each. The firm is “pioneering a differentiated approach to TILs,” with next-generation products designed by choosing the most potent and tumor-reactive T cells, dubbed Selected TILs, according to SEC paperwork.
Two biopharma companies entered the public markets on July 14, with Apogee Therapeutics Inc. pricing a $300 million IPO, the second largest U.S. debut this year, and Sagimet Biosciences Inc. raising $85 million. Apogee, of San Francisco, and Waltham, Mass., is advancing APG-777 and APG-808, which are in development for atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while San Mateo, Calif.-based Sagimet’s lead candidate is the FASN inhibitor denifanstat for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. raised HK$1.36 billion (US$174 million) in an IPO in Hong Kong to support its push into the increasingly competitive antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) market in China.