Biogen confirms upping stake to near 50% in JV with Samsung BioLogics

2018.05.18 13:57:40 | 2018.05.18 15:36:46

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South Korea¡¯s Samsung BioLogics Co. said Friday it was notified by its partner Biogen Inc. on its plan to exercise a call option that enables the U.S. drug maker to up its stake to 49.9 percent from the current 5.4 percent in their biosimilar joint venture Samsung Bioepis Co., currently under scrutiny by Korean financial authorities over an accounting misdeed.

Biogen alerted that it would exercise its option by June 29, the company said. Although the move was announced during a conference call in April, BioLogics sought confirmation on the commitment amid the accounting scandal.

The show of confidence from the U.S. company whose revenue from biosimilars nearly doubled in the first quarter from a year ago helped to lift the stock that had been plagued by jitters about the ongoing probe on accounting fraud that could lead to regulatory penalties. The final review by the top decision-making committee of the Financial Services Commission is due by June 7.

Samsung BioLogics¡¯ shares gained 2.64 percent to close at 408,500 won ($379) on Friday.

The two companies in 2012 had created the joint-venture drug maker focused on biosimilars, a cheaper version of biological drugs similar to already-proven biological products whose patents have expired. Biogen at the time attained an option to up its stake in Bioepis to 50 percent minus one share. Samsung BioLogics currently owns a 94.6 percent interest in the joint venture, with Biogen holding the rest.

Earlier this month, the Financial Supervisory Service, Korea¡¯s financial watchdog, accused Samsung BioLogics of inflating the corporate value of Samsung Bioepis ahead of its initial public offering in late 2016. BioLogics stock has lost 15 percent since the news was leaked before a final ruling was made.

The investigation was renewed despite approval at the time of the IPO after the FSS looked into the accusation by an activist group questioning BioLogics¡¯ sudden swing to profit in 2015 after four straight years of net losses.

The company said the 1.9-trillion-won net profit reflected the change in Bioepis¡¯ status following Biogen¡¯s show of intent to increase its equity investment and chain approvals to market its biosimilars in Europe.

BioLogics maintains it has changed the status of Bioepis from subsidiary to affiliate, which brings about a change in accounting standards, on the high probability that its U.S. partner will own nearly half of the joint-venture.

BioLogics claims no wrongdoing, arguing the swing to profit was the result of the transition of the umbrella status of Bioepis, whose market value was revalued to 5 trillion won.

By Ko Min-suh and Kim Hyo-jin

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