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Biotech Daily covers the major announcements from more than 140 ASX-listed biotech companies as well as the major research institutes and developments in government policy. Published shortly after the stock market closes five days a week - excluding public holidays - Biotech Daily is the only comprehensive daily source of information on the listed biotech sector. The Biotech Daily Top 40 Index (BDI-40) is selected on the basis of interesting technologies, benefit to human health and investment potential. Market capitalization is important, but is not a sole arbiter. Base-rate subscriptions are $A1600 a year (including GST in Australia). Subscribers include biotech directors and CEOs, major pharmaceutical companies, universities, research institutes, investment houses, market analysts, retail investors, doctors, medical specialists and hospital management.
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Imugene Takes May BDI-40 Up 4% To Record $20.4b Imugene Up 117%, Actinogen 74%, Immutep 58%; Oncosil Down 20.5% June 1, 2021 For the first time since initiating the Biotech Daily Top-40 Index (BDI-40) in June 2005, we welcome a $2 billion early-stage company with no revenue.
The inexplicable 117.0 percent rise of Imugene from a market capitalization of $907 million on April 30 to $1,968 million last night, on no significant news, may cause doubts about one company skewing an index of 40 companies.
Imugene’s share price has soared from 10 cents in March to 40 cents, with the strongest news confirmation that its HER-Vaxx gastric cancer trial met its pre-determined progression-free survival numbers. The program was acquired in October 2013, the trial began in November 2016 and the results published last November claimed a “one-sided” p-value of 0.083, with some observers questioning the use of that measure.
Imugene has acquired several programs, including a B-cell technology, as well as the CF33 program, and on May 18, said it had licenced the CD19 oncolytic virus for chimeric antigen receptor t-cell therapy. Clearly, investors are impressed.
Among the companies with revenue, the three Big Caps of Cochlear CSL and Resmed (which are not included in the BDI-40, so as not to skew the data) were up 5.15 percent to a collective market capitalization of $186,455 million, not far from the $191,338 million all-time high at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (see charts below).
The benchmark S&P ASX200 was up 1.9 percent to 7,162 points, up 24.4 percent compared to 12 months ago, finally exceeding the pre-Covid 7,125-point record.
In May, the BDI-40 climbed 4.1 percent, including Imugene, but eased 1.2 percent if Imugene’s value is kept at the April 30 level.
Seventeen of the BDI-40 stocks were up, six by more than 10 percent; and 22 companies fell, 10 by more than 10 percent; with one unchanged.
Imugene jumped $1,061 million or 117.0 percent to $1,968 million, followed by Actinogen (73.6%), Immutep (57.6%), Telix (20.3%), Uscom (17.4%) and Impedimed (12.8%).
Oncosil led the falls, down 20.5 percent to $62 million, followed by Optiscan (19.9%), Genetic Signatures (17.8%), Compumedics (17.3%), Amplia (16.1%), Medical Developments (14.0%), Avita (12.8%), Polynovo (11.2%), Cynata (11.1%) and Osprey (10.9%).
Outside the BDI-40, Alcidion continued its climb to a record $482 million. The 22 companies in Cannabis Corner eased 17.8 percent from last month’s record market capitalization of $1,973 million to $1,621 million.
On the Nasdaq, Queensland’s Protagonist climbed 21.0 percent to $1,993 million, Israel’s Redhill with Australian assets was up 6.1 percent to $437 million, but Eyepoint (Psivida) fell 8.3 percent to $365 million, while the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) fell 2.0 percent for the month.
BDI-40 v S&P ASX200 Jun 30, 2006 to May 31, 2021
 5-Year Big Caps (Cochlear, CSL, Resmed) to May 31, 2021
 BDI-40 ($m) v S&P ASX200 – Jan 31, 2020 - May 31, 2021
(current, raw data) 
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Biotech Daily Top 40 With Market Capitalization At May 31, 2021
* Biotech Daily editor, David Langsam, owns shares in Acrux, Actinogen, Alcidion, Alterity, Amplia, BTC Health, Cochlear
Control Bionics, Cynata, Nanosonics, Neuren, Patrys, Polynovo, Telix and Volpara, as well as non-biotechnology stocks.
Through Australian Ethical Superannuation he has an indirect interest in a range of biotechnology companies.
These holdings are liable to change:
https://www.australianethical.com.au/personal/ethical-investing/companies-we-invest-in/.