11 ASX Pharmaceutical Stocks: An Investor’s Introduction

Investing in foreign stock markets can be intimidating. Factoring in the time difference and currency exchange rates is challenging enough. And since the companies themselves are unfamiliar, it can be hard to get a sense of all your options, particularly in a sector as broad as the pharmaceutical industry.
Here at Life Science Investing News, we want to make the process a little easier. And while we can’t wake you up in the middle of the night to begin trading or calculate the current currency exchange rate, we can introduce you to some of the numerous options available to you in a given sector.
Up first: ASX pharmaceutical stocks.
Consider this your introduction to the Australian Stock Exchange—and 11 of the opportunities it offers pharmaceutical investors.

1. Acrux (ASX:ACR)

Market cap: 57.45M
Notable for: Axiron. This topical testosterone solution is a novel hormone replacement therapy, applied on and absorbed through the skin of the underarm. Acrux has also returned $1.02/share via dividend to investors over the past 5 years.

2. Botanix (ASX:BOT)

Market cap: 8.58M
Notable for: a focus on skin diseases. Botanix has treatments in development for everything from acne and psoriasis to atopic dermatitis. Its drug delivery technology, Permetrex, is designed to deliver medication into the dermis more effectively than existing methods.

3. Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CUV)

Market cap: 291.12M
Notable for: a focus on severe skin diseases. Clinuvel’s lead compound is SCENESSE, which treats erythropoietic protoporphyria. The product candidate has just completed Phase II and III trials in both Europe and the United States.

4. Immuron (ASX:IMC)

Market cap: 27.89M
Notable for: a diverse product pipeline. Immuron is currently developing treatments for diabetes, colitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and UTIs, among other things. Such therapies are based on their antibody platform, which is designed around interplay between the gut and liver.

5. Mayne Pharma Group (ASX:MYX)

Market cap: 2.98B
Notable for: Size. Mayne Pharma has a substantially larger market cap than many of the other companies on this list. It also has a large generics portfolio—in fact, the company recently acquired 42 products from Teva/Allergen.

6. Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU)

Market cap: 86.50M
Notable for: Treatments for neurological disorders, as its name may suggest. Neuren currently has products in Phase II testing for Rett Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome and traumatic brain injury.

7. Opthea (ASX:OPT)

Market cap: 114.90M
Notable for: exclusive global rights to a large intellectual property portfolio surrounding Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. This is key to Opthea’s treatments for eye diseases like macular degeneration, currently in clinical trials.

8. Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:PAR)

Market cap: 26.27M
Notable for: what the company calls “a paradigm shift”—hence the name. Paradigm is trying to repurpose an existing drug, pentosan polysulphate sodium, in order to treat inflammation.

9. QRxPharma (ASX:QRX)

Market cap: 4.60M
Notable for: Stealth Beadlets, or what QRxPharma calls “abuse-deterrent technology.” These prevent drug tampering without affecting a medication’s active ingredient. QRxPharma also develops therapies for pain management, including Moxduo, for which the company recently filed an NDA.

10. Race Oncology (ASX:RAC)

Market cap: 6.08M
Notable for: acquiring late-stage assets for cancer treatment. One such drug? Bisantrene. This medication was part of 40 plus clinical trials before falling by the wayside. Now, Race Oncology is pursuing its potential once more.

11. Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX)

Market cap: 1.83B
Notable for: a focus on liver cancer. Their lead product is SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres, which deliver targeted internal radiation through the hepatic artery. Over 67,000 doses have been used to date in 40 countries around the world.
 
Keep an eye out for Life Science Investing News’ ongoing coverage of the ASX. In the future, we’ll outline investing options for biotech, genetics and medical device stocks as well. By the time this series has concluded, you’ll have a solid snapshot of the ASX healthcare sector and be better positioned to make an informed investment decision.
These companies might be based several continents away, but by the time we’re done, you’ll know them as well as your neighbor.
 
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Securities Disclosure: I, Chelsea Pratt, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.