Big Chinese pharmaceutical firms with a track record of profits will be favoured by global funds as China ends its zero-Covid policy , while unprofitable biotechnology firms will fall out of favour, Citigroup said. “[Firms with a] track record of profit making and direct beneficiaries of the reopening are what foreign investors are looking for now,” said John Yung, head of Asia healthcare research at the US-investment bank. With caution prevalent, big drug and device manufacturers and large private hospitals will be their top picks, he added. Wuxi AppTec, considered China’s biggest contract research organisation, for instance, gets Citi’s is recommendation, as it is expected to increase its earnings as operations go back to normal. Beijing will roll out more pro-growth measures to steady the economy, China’s State Council said last month. The country has scrapped most of its Covid-19 controls and reopened its borders for international travel on Sunday. China’s pharma industry bound for global forefront: Fosun group says “Most of such companies’ earnings expectations were adjusted down last year, before the country set a clear stance on reopening. Now, we are seeing [the possibility of] better-than-expected operations in 2023,” Yung said. Most foreign investors are, however, still on the sidelines and are expected to build their positions in Chinese firms by the end of January, he added. “They want to make sure the country’s Covid-19 policy is consistent after the Lunar New Year holiday”, when the country will see a huge amount of travel and rising cases, Yung said. Large drug makers such as Sino Biopharmaceutical will also benefit from an end to policies affecting drug prices. China has since 2018 launched six rounds of a centralised bulk-buying programme, which has led to lower prices for some drugs and high-value medical supplies. Sino’s earnings could rise by 15 to 20 per cent this year, Yung said. Shares of the healthcare sector have outperformed the market the most following China’s reopening, according to Bank of America analysts. Not all firms will, however, regain their shine. “Chapter 18 biotechnology companies, which have been hot over the past couple of years, see too many uncertainties in their research and development and are not in line with the current risk appetite of foreign investors,” Yung said. The Hong Kong stock exchange introduced the Chapter 18A healthcare regulatory framework in April 2018 to allow listings by pre-revenue biotechnology firms that fell outside traditional listing regimes to woo such innovative companies. Ascletis Pharma, which focuses on innovative drugs targeting hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, became the first Chinese biotechnology company to list through Chapter 18A in Hong Kong on August 1, 2018. More than 50 companies have gone public through this framework since, attracting more than HK$110 billion (US$14.1 billion), according to data from Wind. All companies listed through this framework are marked with “B” at the end of their stock short names. This marker is removed only when their revenues and market values reach a certain threshold. Currently, 47 biotechnology companies are still trading with the “B” marker. The share prices of such companies fell about 40 per cent last year. In comparison, the Hang Seng Index dropped 15 per cent last year. Adrian Cheng-backed Prenetics acquires majority stake in ACT Genomics “Investors become more rational and are looking for fundamentals when the economy is still gloomy,” said Kenny Ng Lai-yin, a strategist at Everbright Securities International. “Healthcare is one of the areas that can benefit from China’s renewed policies, as both the governments and people will focus more on well-being, but chapter 18A companies may not benefit much as their financial figures are not solid.” Additional reporting by Jiaxing Li