Influenza A benfits biotech firms

As H1N1 influenza claimed the lives of two Koreans over the weekend, shares of biotech companies surged on August 18, although the benchmark KOSPI headed down.

Green Cross Corp., the only Korean company with a facility for manufacturing vaccines for the flu, jumped by more than 14 percent from August 14's close to 144,500 won per share on August 17. The company is expected to produce a maxim...