Sino Biopharm Shares Jump After Plan to Acquire Hygieia

By Jason Chau

Shares of Sino Biopharmaceutical jumped after the Chinese pharma major said it plans to acquire Hangzhou Hygieia Biomedical.

The stock rose as much as 5.5% on Wednesday morning in Hong Kong, and was last up 4.1%.

Sino Biopharm said in a Tuesday filing that it plans to acquire Hygeia for up to 1.2 billion Chinese yuan, equivalent to US$172 million, in cash and stock.

Hygieia is a Chinese startup specializing in the research and development of innovative drugs that use small interfering ribonucleic acids, or siRNA, technology, with a strategic focus on chronic disease areas covering weight management, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders.

Sino Biopharm said the acquisition will accelerate the group's innovation initiatives and clinical advancement in chronic disease treatment, which it is positioning as a new growth engine.

The deal, which follows Sino Biopharm's acquisition of cancer-treatment specialist LaNova Medicines last year, "reflect[s] the company's deep pockets and determination to enrich its research pipeline non-organically," Nomura analyst Jialin Zhang said in a note.

The 1.2 billion yuan offer is a good deal for Sino Biopharm, he added.

China's healthcare companies have made notable advances in innovation lately, attracting strong interest from investors and global pharma majors, which have entered into a series of licensing deals for Chinese innovative drugs.

The Hang Seng Biotech Index is up over 17% so far this year, outpacing the broader Hang Seng Index's 5.5% gain.

Write to Jason Chau at jason.chau@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 14, 2026 01:01 ET (06:01 GMT)