The second biotech series is catching up - BioNxt Solutions, Core One Labs, BB Biotech

BioNxt Solutions - Blow by blow

The German-Canadian biotech company BioNxt Solutions has a current stock market value of CAD 67.89 million and is setting a tremendous pace. Thanks to its broadly diversified business areas, considerable progress has been reported in recent weeks. Only last month, an agreement was signed for a clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinson's disease with a transdermal rotigotine patch. The study aims to evaluate the bioavailability and skin tolerance of the new formulation compared to a commercially available drug patch.

It has also become known that BioNxt Solutions has acquired a technology for the enteric coating of tablets. About four weeks later, a contractual partner presented the first prototypes of tablets coated with the new technology. The tablets developed contain active pharmaceutical ingredients and can be used in pilot studies on bioavailability.

The capacity for commercial production is to be expanded at Vektor Pharma TF GmbH's facility in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Moreover, the machine is geared to produce the Company's orally soluble and transdermal drug formulations in addition to the ODF biosensor products. In this way, BioNxt Solutions kills two birds with one stone. One is developing and commercializing key products in BioNxt's pipeline, and the other is the execution of strategic contract research and development work.

Thanks to its recent successes, BioNxt Solutions has outperformed the broad biotech sector with a share price performance of around 35% since the beginning of the year and is quoted at EUR 0.46. A new buy signal would be generated if the resistance at EUR 0.50 were overcome. A detailed report on the up-and-coming biotech stock can be read here.

Core One Labs - Subsidiary reaches milestone

BioNxt Solutions is characterized by broad diversification. The accelerator concentrates on developing the next generation of drug formulations, diagnostics and active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, successes were already achieved in the growing psilocybin research market in the fourth quarter of the past financial year.

It is precisely in this market that Core One Labs, a life sciences research and development company, focuses on bringing psychedelic medicines to market through the development and production of active psychedelic ingredients, the further development of psychedelic-assisted treatments and the integration of new drug delivery technologies. The wholly-owned subsidiary Awakened Biosciences Inc. has now successfully completed the first synthetic production of psilocin in the GMP-certified production facility of the recently acquired GMP Drug Inc., marking a milestone in the Company's history to date.

It is precisely in this market that Core One Labs, a life sciences research and development company focused on bringing psychedelic medicines to market through the development and production of active psychedelic ingredients, the advancement of psychedelic-assisted treatments and the integration of new drug delivery technologies is focused. The wholly-owned subsidiary Awakened Biosciences Inc. has now successfully completed the first synthetic production of psilocin in the GMP-certified production facility of the recently acquired GMP Drug Inc., marking a milestone in the Company's history to date.

This lays the foundation for the serial production of psychedelic drug compounds in a GMP-certified facility. This is even more significant for the Company because, in addition to developing psychedelics and psychedelic compounds, Core One Labs also has a stake in four medical clinics with a combined database of more than 275,000 patients. Thus, it stands to reason that the Canadians aim to integrate the launch of the products and psychedelic treatments for mental illnesses into them.

Core One Labs has a market capitalization of CAD 17.73 million.

BB Biotech - Investment company feels headwinds

The restrained development in the biotechnology sector did not leave the investment company based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, unscathed. While the benchmark NBI index, which mainly tracks larger biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, closed with a quarterly loss of minus 1.9%, BB Biotech's portfolio lost around 9.2% on a Swiss franc basis, in the same period, as of the end of March. The portfolio's net loss in Q1 2023 was thus CHF 254 million, compared to a net loss of CHF 300 million in the same period last year.

Despite the challenging market, the Company was positive for the full year due to the fundamental success of the biotech sector's innovative large, mid and small caps. Thus, the investment ratio of 114% was almost at the defined upper limit of 115%. For the dividend payout of CHF 156 million, BB Biotech mainly relied on cash generated by the acquisition of Myovants by its portfolio company Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma.

In particular, the largest holding, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, with 11.4%, was able to report convincing developments concerning the drug Tofersen recently. The FDA advisory committee voted unanimously with 9 yes votes in favour of a possible accelerated approval of the drug for treating people with SOD1 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (SOD1-ALS).

BB Biotech's shares have lost around 35% since the last interim high in August 2021 and are currently sitting in a broad support zone at EUR 55.90.

BioNxt Solutions set important milestones in several business areas in the past weeks. Core One Labs completed the first synthetic production of psilocin. The investment company BB Biotech is optimistic for the full year in the biotech sector despite a subdued first quarter.