Shares in Destiny Pharma plc (LON:DEST), which is chaired by City heavyweight Sir Nigel Rudd, made a cracking stock market debut as the shares raced to a first-day premium of 30%.
Listed at 157p they rattled up to 204p, valuing the business just at a tad over £93mln.
WATCH: Destiny Pharma to push ahead with next-generation antibiotic after $15mln IPO
The company, only the second biotech float this year, is bringing through a next-generation antibiotic.
New MRSA treatment
The bulk of the £15mln it raised will go towards funding a phase IIb clinical trial on XF-73 for the prevention of post-surgical staphylococcus aureus infections, including the deadly MRSA.
"XF-73 could be the first drug to be specifically labelled for a new US FDA-sanctioned indication, namely the prevention of post-surgical infections; a market we believe to be worth a billion dollars in the US alone and growing,” said chief executive Neil Clark,
He is an IPO veteran having helped take life sciences hybrid Ergomed Plc (LON:ERGO) to market just over three years ago.
In a separate announcement Destiny also announced a regional framework development and commercialisation agreement with China Medical Systems.