The global biotechnology sector is on track to become a multi-trillion dollar industry.
Worldwide, the biotech space is worth an estimated US$1.76 trillion this year, according to Grand View Research. That value is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.96 percent through 2030 to become a US$3.88 trillion market.
The major factors driving this growth are a strong clinical pipeline of precision medicine and regenerative technologies, as well as a rising demand for treatments for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders.
Australia's biotech market is growing as well. In 2024, IBISWorld projects that the sector will see revenue of AU$10.8 billion.
According to a recent report from KPMG, Australia’s biotech industry ranks fifth in the world for research and translation. “Australia’s renowned research and clinical trials capabilities, growing biotech industry and increasing investments in manufacturing can help bolster biotech breakthroughs,” the report’s authors stated.
Below the Investing News Network profiles the five best-performing ASX small-cap biotech stocks so far this year. Data was compiled on August 21, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener, and all biotech companies listed had market caps between AU$10 million and AU$500 million at that time. Read on to learn more about their activities this past year.
1. Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:NSB)
Year-to-date gain: 100 percent
Market cap: AU$9.69 million
Share price: AU$0.066
NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals researches and develops biomedical products for the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions related to immune-mediated inflammatory disorders.
These types of disorders involve the immune system mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues.
The company’s shares got large bump to the upside in April following news of its intent to acquire 100 percent of the issued capital of private firm Isopogen, which would bring Isopogen's patented StemSmart stem cell technology into NeuroScientific's portfolio.
StemSmart improves the clinical efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) derived from adult human donor bone marrow. The treatment then interacts with a patient’s immune system to modulate immune responses.
StemSmart MSC is currently targeting the treatment of the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's disease. According to the release, results of the Phase 2 trial of StemSmart MSC for treating refractory Crohn’s disease were promising. The next step for the treatment is a special access program for treating fistulising Crohn’s disease.
Shares surged in value from AU$0.035 on April 15, before the news was released, to AU$0.52 the next trading day. The stock reached its year-to-date high of AU$0.067 on June 11.
2. Invex Therapeutics (ASX:IXC)
Year-to-date gain: 27.14 percent
Market cap: AU$6.01 million
Share price: AU$0.089
Invex Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company repurposing the drug Exenatide, a drug currently approved for type 2 diabetes, for the treatment of neurological conditions relating to raised intracranial pressure.
Invex collaborated with Tessara Therapeutics in pre-clinical trials, testing Exenatide on Tessara's Alzheimer's disease model, ADBrain. The trials focused on its therapeutic efficacy and safety in the prevention of cell death in the ADBrain neural micro-tissues.
In its March quarterly report, Invex shared that it had expanded its research collaboration with Tessara to study whether Exenatide can reduce Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and enact any positive effects on neural networks. The two are also planning a comparative analysis of Exenatide in normal versus Alzheimer's brain tissue with a focus on differential protein and gene expression. According to the release, results for the analyses are expected in the second half of 2025.
Shares in Invex hit their highest year-to-date value of AU$0.10 on May 8.
3. Argenica Therapeutics (ASX:AGN)
Year-to-date gain: 10.32 percent
Market cap: AU$92.23 million
Share price: AU$0.695
Argenica Therapeutics is developing novel neuroprotective therapeutics.
The company’s lead product candidate is ARG-007, a neuroprotective peptide candidate intended to protect brain cells and reduce cell death during a stroke and other types of neural injuries.
Shares in Argenica have experienced a degree of volatility for the first half of the year, trading in a range of AU$0.64 to AU$0.87, the latter being the value it reached as its year-to-date high on February 21.
In late January, Argenica announced a progress update from its Phase 2 clinical trial of ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients. A review by the Data Safety Monitoring Board of the data out of the first 76 patients dosed in Argenica’s Phase 2 clinical trial recommended the study continue with no modifications.
Early the following month, Argenica released results from a large preclinical rat study that demonstrated ARG-007 significantly reduced axonal injury and neuroinflammation caused by moderate traumatic brain injury.
The company shared in May the granting of a new US patent covers the use of Argenica’s neuroprotective peptides in treating surgery patients at risk of suffering cerebral ischaemia or stroke, expanding the scope of its parent patent. In the release, Argenica also stated results from its Phase 2 clinical trial are expected in Q3 of this year.
4. Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX)
Year-to-date gain: 6 percent
Market cap: AU$42.68 million
Share price: AU$0.053
Prescient Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology company developing personalized medicines, including targeted and cellular therapies. The company has built an extensive pipeline of later-stage and emerging assets in next generation targeted and cellular therapies and spanning a range of different cancers.
Prescient has the exclusive rights to the cell therapy platform technologies OmniCAR and CellPryme. Additionally, its lead drug candidate is PTX-100, a compound that can block an important cancer growth enzyme. The company is developing PTX-100 to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily affects the skin.
In mid-April, the US Food and Drug Administration granted Prescient’s PTX-100 fast-track designation for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides, the most common subtype of CTCL.
The company reached another significant milestone in May when its first patient was dosed in its Phase 2a study for PTX-100 for refractory or relapsed CTCL. The study plans to recruit patients in Australia, the US and Europe.
Shares in Prescient Therapeutics reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.06 for the first time on January 23 and most recently on June 10.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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