L&C Bio (290650.KQ) shares rose about 5% after the company said it would use its next-generation skin booster "Rituo" for hair-loss treatment.
As of Wednesday, L&C Bio shares traded at 81,900 won, up 3,700 won, or 4.73%, from the previous day's close, according to the Korea Exchange. The gain is attributed to the company's announcement that it would use Rituo, an extracellular matrix (ECM) skin booster, for hair-loss treatment.
The government is pushing a plan to apply health insurance coverage to hair-loss treatment, in line with a campaign pledge by President Lee Jae-myung. Health and Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong said at a press briefing on the 11th, "In the second half of this year, we will pursue an expansion of health insurance coverage for hair-loss treatment after gathering public opinion," adding, "We have completed a working-level review of the health insurance financing required." As a result, hair-loss-related stocks have been rising across the board.
According to L&C Bio, at a hair-loss practical academy hosted by the Korean Academy of Dermatology, Obesity and Plastic Surgery, Kim Ji-hyun, director of Yonsei Midain Clinic, presented clinical applications of ECM-based regenerative treatment, saying, "ECM regeneration can be a new treatment approach that normalizes the tissue around hair follicles." A workshop on Rituo scalp procedures using L&C Bio's injection platform "iJet" was also held.
"According to academia, as hair loss progresses, not only does hair follicle stem cell function decline, but the ECM structure—such as collagen and elastin that supports hair follicles—is lost and fibrosis occurs as well," an L&C Bio official said. "By directly supplying ECM components derived from human dermis, Rituo can induce reconstruction of the ECM in damaged scalp dermis and serve as a biological scaffold for tissue regeneration."
