Chinese Biotech Firm InnoCare Plans Hong Kong IPO

(Bloomberg) -- Beijing InnoCare Pharma Tech Co., which is developing treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases, is planning a Hong Kong initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The company has been interviewing potential advisers and aims to list as soon as this year, said the people, asking not to be identified because the information is private. InnoCare could seek around $250 million from the offering, though it hasn’t set a precise fundraising target yet, one of the people said.

InnoCare’s backers include 3H Health Investment, Jianxin Capital and Loyal Valley Capital. The company raised a combined $215 million from two funding rounds last year, according to a statement. Its latest financing round valued InnoCare at about $800 million, the people said.

Chinese biotech firms have raised more than $4 billion from Hong Kong IPOs since the city’s exchange overhauled its rules in April 2018 to lure most fast-growing companies, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Early listings including Ascletis Pharma Inc. and Hua Medicine are trading below their offer prices. More recent deals have performed better, with CanSino Biologics Inc. jumping 73 percent since its March debut.

InnoCare operates research and production facilities in Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou, its website shows. Deliberations about the offering are at an early stage, and details of the deal could change, the people said. A representative for InnoCare declined to comment.

To contact the reporters on this story: Crystal Tse in Hong Kong at ctse44@bloomberg.net;Manuel Baigorri in Hong Kong at mbaigorri@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fion Li at fli59@bloomberg.net, Ben Scent

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