In today’s briefing:
- AbbVie’s $1 Billion Bet On Gilgamesh: The Neuroscience Acquisition That Could Change Everything!
- AstraZeneca’s Oral Drug Revolution: Could This Be the Future of Heart & Lung Treatments?
- AXOGEN In Buyout Talks? $18 Per Share Bid Sparks Market Buzz!
- Continue Adding Exposure to China; Short-Term Supports to for This ACWI-US Pullback
- Exelixis Inc.: The Advancement in Early Clinical Pipeline & Other Major Drivers!
- Hong Kong Single Stock Options Weekly (July 28–Aug 01): Reversal Hits, Breadth Collapses, Vol Steady
- HeartFlow Inc. (HTFL): Coronary Artery Disease Company Sets Terms Seeking up to $1.3b Valuation
- HK Inno.N (195940 KS): Mixed 2Q Result; Pipeline Progress to Maintain Positive Momentum
- JCR Pharma (4552 JP): Izcargo Holds Revenue As Price Revision Impacts Growject; Guidance Reiterated
- Symbio Pharmaceuticals (4582 JP): 1H FY12/25 flash update
AbbVie’s $1 Billion Bet On Gilgamesh: The Neuroscience Acquisition That Could Change Everything!
- AbbVie’s reported discussions to acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals for approximately $1 billion mark the latest twist in the company’s aggressive M&A strategy, as it seeks new engines of growth beyond its ex-Humira platform.
- Just days after raising its 2025 guidance on the strength of Skyrizi, Rinvoq and Vyalev — and outlining an $8-year runway driven by oncology, neuroscience, immunology and aesthetics — AbbVie is doubling down on psychiatric innovation.
- Gilgamesh, a privately held developer of psychoplastogen-based therapies, has already joined forces with AbbVie on a co-development pact that could funnel up to $1.95 billion in milestone payments into novel mood-disorder treatments.
AstraZeneca’s Oral Drug Revolution: Could This Be the Future of Heart & Lung Treatments?
- AstraZeneca, a prominent global biopharmaceutical company, reported its financial results for the first half of 2025, showcasing continued growth and development across its portfolio.
- The company’s total revenue increased by 11%, fueled by robust demand for its innovative medicines, notably in oncology and biopharmaceuticals.
- Core Earnings Per Share (EPS) rose by 17%, reflecting the company’s focus on its pipeline investments alongside efforts to optimize operating leverage.
AXOGEN In Buyout Talks? $18 Per Share Bid Sparks Market Buzz!
- Axogen reported a robust start to 2025 with a revenue increase of 17.4% in the first quarter, reaching $48.6 million.
- This growth was attributed to the continued adoption and execution of customer-focused initiatives centered around nerve repair in its key markets, including extremities, oral maxillofacial, head and neck, and breast surgery.
- The company emphasized its efforts in strategically targeting high-potential accounts, which yielded a 24% increase in average account productivity, surpassing the anticipated 21%.
Continue Adding Exposure to China; Short-Term Supports to for This ACWI-US Pullback
- We remain near-term bullish since our 4/22/25 Compass, and our intermediate-term outlook remains bullish as well (as of our 5/14/25 Compass), with Int’l Compass reports all echoing this sentiment.
- We will maintain our bullish intermediate-term view as long as market dynamics remain healthy and the SPX and ACWI-US are above 6028-6059 (up from 5700-5785) and $119-$121.
- $128, $125-$126, and $123-$123.50 are short-term supports to watch on ACWI-US; we will maintain our near-term bullish outlook as long as $123 support holds.
Exelixis Inc.: The Advancement in Early Clinical Pipeline & Other Major Drivers!
- Exelixis’ second quarter 2025 financial results highlight both significant achievements and ongoing challenges for the biotechnology company.
- Revenue growth and product development are key aspects to consider when forming an investment thesis.
- In terms of financial performance, Exelixis reported total revenue of $568 million, with the cabozantinib franchise contributing $520 million.
Hong Kong Single Stock Options Weekly (July 28–Aug 01): Reversal Hits, Breadth Collapses, Vol Steady
- HSI reversed course with four straight down days to close the week sharply lower.
- Breadth collapsed, with only a small fraction of names finishing higher; option volumes rose into the decline with Puts taking more than their usual share of activity.
- Implied vols fell on the week, erasing last week’s gains and not showing signs of stress at this point.
HeartFlow Inc. (HTFL): Coronary Artery Disease Company Sets Terms Seeking up to $1.3b Valuation
- Heartflow is offering 12.5 million shares at a $15-$17 range which equates to a valuation of around $1.32 billion.
- They expect revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2025 to be approximately $42.9 million to $43.4 million, as compared to $31.1 million for the same period in 2024.
- Heartflow is scheduled to debut on Friday, August 8th. We anticipate the offering to be “well-received”.
HK Inno.N (195940 KS): Mixed 2Q Result; Pipeline Progress to Maintain Positive Momentum
- HK inno.N (195940 KS) reported 2Q25 result, with double-digit revenue growth and decline in operating and net profit. Continued strong sales of prescription drug business remained the key driver.
- During 2Q25, domestic outpatient prescription sales of K-CAB increased 14% YoY to KRW53B. Next major trigger for K-CAB will be the U.S. filing for both EE and NERD in 4Q25.
- Recently, the company’s investigational new drug IN-115314 advances to Phase 3 trial for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs. If approved, IN-115314 has blockbuster revenue potential.
JCR Pharma (4552 JP): Izcargo Holds Revenue As Price Revision Impacts Growject; Guidance Reiterated
- Jcr Pharmaceuticals (4552 JP) revenue increased 5% to ¥8.6B in Q1FY26, mainly driven by Izcargo, marred to an extent by NHI price revision impact on Growject.
- Higher SG&A expenses (up 9%) on increased commission payments and increased R&D expenses (up 5% as clinical development activities progressed) resulted in operating loss of ¥606M.
- JCR’s two pipeline drugs are under Phase III trials: pabinafusp alfa (JR-141) for Hunter syndrome and JR-142, for growth hormone deficiency. Approvals not expected before late FY27 or FY28.
Symbio Pharmaceuticals (4582 JP): 1H FY12/25 flash update
- Sales dropped 49.7% YoY to JPY647mn, with a gross profit margin of 76.3%, down 1.3pp YoY.
- Operating loss reached JPY2.2bn, recurring loss JPY2.3bn, and net loss JPY2.4bn, all increased from 1H FY12/24.
- SG&A expenses declined 2.5% YoY to JPY2.6bn, with R&D expenses increasing 3.3% YoY to JPY1.6bn.
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