[Special Stock] Withus Pharm Gains on Investment Spotlight as Holder of Core mRNA Vaccine LNP Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Withus Pharmaceutical's stock price is on the rise. This appears to be due to the news of its equity investment in a company possessing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, a core technology necessary for developing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based COVID-19 vaccines.

As of 2:14 PM on the 30th, Withus Pharmaceutical's stock price recorded 14,400 KRW, up 5.11% compared to the previous day. Amid the spotlight on LNP technology for mRNA COVID-19 vaccine development, Withus Pharmaceutical's equity investment of 2 billion KRW last year in the bio-venture company Inventage Lab, which holds this technology, seems to have acted as a positive factor.

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine attracted attention due to its short development period and mass production capability, but mRNA itself is heat-sensitive and easily decomposed, making stable delivery within the body a challenge. This is why only Pfizer and Moderna succeeded in development. Meanwhile, Inventage Lab recently developed technology capable of mass-producing LNPs that can stably encapsulate mRNA. Kim Juhee, CEO of Inventage Lab, stated in an interview with a media outlet earlier this month, "We succeeded in uniformly producing LNP particles containing mRNA of 150 nanometers (nm) in size with an encapsulation yield exceeding 95%," adding, "We are the only company equipped with the foundation for mass production."