[THE INVESTOR] Korean pharmaceuticals and biotech stocks have surged this year on the back of a biotech rally on the NASDAQ, data showed on Sept. 21.

The main stock market’s index for the pharmaceutical sector had spiked 44 percent from the start of this year, according to the data from the Korea Exchange and market tracker FnGuide.

The figure is more than double the 19 percent increase in the benchmark KOSPI over the cited period.

On the secondary KOSDAQ market, the pharma index surged 18 percent over the same period, far outperforming the 5.7 percent gain in the broad KOSDAQ index.

Biotech company Sillajen saw its share price skyrocket 230 percent during the period, the best performer among local pharmaceuticals and biotechs.

Shares in biopharmaceutical maker Samsung BioLogics, a unit of South Korea’s top conglomerate Samsung Group, surged 116 percent, with pharmaceutical firm FutureChem seeing its share price double.

The share price of biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion, the top cap on the secondary KOSDAQ market, jumped 36 percent over the cited period.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)