pharm edaily

[Song YoungDoo, Edaily Reporter] SK Biopharmaceuticals shares surged after the company posted its highest ever quarterly earnings fueled by robust sales of its epilepsy drug cenobamate. Meanwhile Bluemtec a supplier of some volumes of Novo Nordisk’s obesity therapy Wegovy rallied on news that it has begun preorders for Eli Lilly’s rival blockbuster Mounjaro. In contrast Icure spiked in morning trade but was suspended in the afternoon after its largest shareholder was indicted for embezzlement and breach of duty.

SK Biopharmaceuticals share price trend (Source=KG Zeroin MP Doctor)

SK Biopharmaceuticals Hits Record Quarter as Xcopri Takes Off

According to KG Zeroin’s MP Doctor(formerly Market Point) SK Biopharmaceuticals closed Tuesday at 111,400 won, up 15.92%(15,300 won) from the previous session. The stock is now within 20,000 won of its 52week high of 130,000 won.

The surge followed the announcement of record quarterly results. The company reported second quarter revenue of 176.3 billion won and operating profit of 61.9 billion won, up 31.6% and 137.6% year over year, respectively. Both figures beat market consensus by 4.6% and 72.4% driven largely by U.S. sales of its key CNS drug Xcopri(cenobamate).

Xcopri posted 154.1 billion won(approximately USD 110 million) in U.S. sales during the quarter up 46.5% from a year earlier and surpassing the USD 100 million quarterly milestone for the first time since launch. Prescription data confirmed the growth average monthly new to brand prescriptions(NBRx) exceeded 1,600 in Q1 and rose to about 1,800 in Q2. Management attributed the momentum to initiatives like the Q1 NBRx contest.

A company official said “We expect our DTC advertising campaign launched in May to drive further growth in the second half. We will continue to expand patient touchpoints and strengthen our position through active marketing initiatives such as the ‘Line of Therapy’ contest to accelerate prescription uptake.” SK Biopharmaceuticals also aims to expand Xcopri’s market by broadening indications and patient age ranges, with top-line data from its Phase 3 trial in primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures(PGTC) expected later this year.

The company is also preparing to commercialize a second CNS therapy through a planned in licensing deal this year. Management expects the new product to leverage its existing U.S. sales infrastructure and generate immediate revenue contribution.

Bluemtec Surges on Mounjaro Preorders, Leads Biopharma Gainers

Bluemtec closed at 5,150 won, up 16.91%(745 won), marking the steepest gain among Korean biopharma stocks on Tuesday. The rally was fueled by obesity drug momentum.

The company currently distributes limited volumes of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster Wegovy to domestic clinics and will also handle Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro. News of the preorder launch, posted on the company’s website, triggered heavy investor interest.

“To meet customer demand proactively we started Mounjaro preorders on August 4 without a fixed end date” a Bluemtec official told PharmEdaily. “We have long applied pre-purchase policies for products with potential surge demand, such as flu vaccines. Preorders will close once sufficient demand is met.”

Bluemtec’s revenue has already accelerated thanks to Wegovy sales. According to IQVIA the Korean obesity treatment market reached 108.6 billion won in Q1 2025, up 169.8% from 40.3 billion won a year earlier. Wegovy accounted for 79.4 billion won in Q1 sales, and Bluemtec’s monthly Wegovy related revenue jumped from 500 million won in 2024 to 9 billion won in May 2025 alone.

Analysts suggest Mounjaro could add hundreds of billions of won in annual sales if distributed under a similar model.

Icure Spikes, Then Suspended on Embezzlement Case

Icure shares initially rallied, rising 11.91%(231 won) by 11:56 a.m. before trading was abruptly halted after confirmation that former Chairman Choi Young kwon the company’s largest shareholder was indicted for embezzlement and breach of trust.

Choi, who holds a 13.60% stake, is a former KIST and Samyang Pharma researcher and had served as Icure chairman since August 2020, concurrently leading subsidiaries Icure B&P and OneCureGen. Prosecutors allege that he caused roughly 16.5 billion won in corporate losses by acquiring Icure’s second and third series CB call options at below-market value in 2020 and misappropriated 565 million won in unauthorized interim severance payments, bringing the total alleged damage to 17.06 billion won.

Choi has resigned from all posts at Icure and its subsidiaries. The company said it will separate shareholder ownership from management to ensure independent governance.

CEO and board chair Lee Young seok stated “We will pursue legal action, including damage claims to recover losses and will fully cooperate with KRX’s eligibility review to resume trading as soon as possible.”