[Featured Stock] PCL, World's First Simultaneous Diagnosis of 5 Diseases... "Aiming for 10% Share of the 30 Trillion Won Blood Screening Market"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] PCL is showing strong performance. The news that it has developed the world's first multi-diagnostic technology for transfusion blood, capable of capturing the global blood screening market worth 30 trillion KRW annually, appears to have influenced its stock price.

At 1:43 PM on the 26th, PCL was trading at 14,850 KRW, up 9.19% from the previous day.

Kim Soyeon, CEO of PCL, said in an interview with a media outlet on the same day, "Our goal is to capture 10% of the global blood screening device market," adding, "We believe this can be achieved within a few years."

The global blood screening market is a huge market worth 30 trillion KRW annually. It is the market where blood centers in each country test donated blood. Currently, five diseases are targeted: AIDS, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, syphilis, and T-cell leukemia. Abbott dominates 75% of the global blood screening market.

CEO Kim introduced, "Existing products test each of the five diseases separately," and "PCL's product diagnoses all five diseases simultaneously, which can reduce time and costs."

She continued, "We have received approval in Korea and Germany as the world's first product to simultaneously diagnose five diseases," adding, "With price competitiveness, we have a good chance of success in the global market."

PCL was approved in 2016 for its blood screening device 'HiSU'. Last May, it received high praise from global blood center officials at an international conference held in Poland. It was presented alongside products from global companies such as Abbott, Roche, and Clifos, and CEO Kim conveyed that it was evaluated as a new technology following Abbott's product.

HiSU was recently selected as a target for the Public Procurement Service's innovation-oriented technology innovation prototype purchase project. One unit of HiSU, costing about 300 million KRW each, is being delivered and installed at Hanmaeum Blood Center under the Korea Industrial Health Association. The first delivery was made four years after approval.

PCL plans to challenge the vaccine and artificial blood fields as well. It is expected to develop artificial blood using aptamer technology.

Sales of COVID-19 diagnostic devices also surged. In April alone, sales reached 40 billion KRW. There are also forecasts that sales of COVID-19 diagnostic kits this year will reach several hundred billion KRW.