Hanmi Pharm rises to 'large-cap' shares: KRX

SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's main bourse operator Korea Exchange (KRX) said Saturday that leading drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. has grown to become one of the bourse's "large-cap" shares, while other traditionally top players such as shipbuilders lost ground.

The KRX said according to its calculation of share prices over the December-February period, 12 firms, including Hanmi, grew from mid-bracket to large-cap over the cited period.

The bourse operator categorizes the top 100 firms in terms of market capitalization as large-cap, while the next 200 companies are defined as mid-sized shares.

Last year, Hanmi Pharmaceutical clinched six licensing-out deals and collaboration projects worth a combined 7.6 trillion won.

The South Korean company has bagged a series of deals to license its pipeline products and collaborative research and development on early treatments for lung cancer and diabetes.

Founded in 1973, Hanmi spent 187 billion won on research and development last year, up 23 percent from a year earlier, it added.

In contrast, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. slipped to become a mid-sized share in terms of market capitalization over the cited period. The company inked a record 5.5 trillion won in net loss last year.

colin@yna.co.kr
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