Nanogen Company during Mr. Ho Nhan's time was once valued at 5,100 billion VND.

Last night, May 12, the Vietnamese business community was shocked to receive the news that Mr. Ho Nhan, former Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company and the "father" of the Nanocovax vaccine project, suddenly died at the age of 59 due to heart disease.

In the pain of loss, Ms. Nguyen Thi Son, his mother-in-law and founder of Son Kim Group, posted an emotional status on social media: "I know you are a young man with many ambitions... You are not famous, but you have become a man."

Mr. Ho Nhan is known as the initiator and leader of the Nanocovax vaccine project - the first COVID-19 vaccine researched and clinically tested in Vietnam. This is one of the most notable scientific products during the peak of the pandemic.

Nanocovax has been researched since May 2020, undergoing 3 phases of clinical trials on humans. Although not officially licensed for circulation, this is still one of the products with remarkable scientific imprints of Vietnam during the pandemic.

Nanogen's Development Journey

Nanogen Company was established in September 1997, operating in the field of biotechnology, focusing on products for the treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, anemia and cancer.

The company also researches antibodies used in cancer immunotherapy, vaccines and other biological therapies. In particular, Nanogen has gradually established its name with a production capacity of more than 50 million products/year, distributed to more than 15 countries around the world.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Mr. Ho Nhan decided to invest heavily in vaccine research. "Doing this project was very stressful because it was very risky... We didn't know if it could be sold or not, but we had to produce and reserve small batches for testing," he once shared.

According to data updated at the end of 2019, Nanogen had a charter capital of 715 billion VND. Mr. Ho Nhan at that time owned 70% of the shares (equivalent to 140 billion VND), his wife - Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van - held 25%, the remaining 5% was held by Mr. Ho Vu Thanh.

After foreign shareholders joined, Mr. Nhan's ownership ratio decreased to 67.5%, Ms. Van's to 22.5%, and Mr. Thanh withdrew all capital.

By March 2021, Nanogen increased its charter capital to more than VND 806 billion. Mr. Ho Nhan owns more than 59% of shares (over VND 480 billion), Ms. Van holds 14.61% (nearly VND 118 billion). In the group of new shareholders, KIS Vietnam Securities Joint Stock Company holds 0.2% of charter capital.

According to KIS's 2024 financial report, the company spent nearly VND 11.6 billion to own more than 162,800 shares, equivalent to a Nanogen valuation of about VND 5,100 billion.

At the end of 2021, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van replaced Mr. Ho Nhan as General Director and legal representative of the company.

In addition to his role at Nanogen, Mr. Ho Nhan is also the legal representative of Nanogen Lam Dong Pharmaceutical Production Company Limited.

Mr. Ho Nhan was born in 1966, grew up in New York (USA), is a doctor of biotechnology graduated from the University of Arizona. Returning to Vietnam after many years of research abroad, he brought with him the aspiration to build a regional biotechnology company.

In addition to his scientific expertise, Mr. Ho Nhan has worked in the financial sector, was a member of the Board of Directors of Vina Securities Company from 2013 to 2016, and participated in many mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industry in the US and Hong Kong.

Under his leadership, Nanogen has grown rapidly in both technology and scale. The company now has four factories and one research center, covering a total area of ​​73,000 m² – including a 34,000 m² factory in Lam Dong, specializing in the production of intravenous fluids.

Although the Nanocovax vaccine has not been licensed for circulation as expected, the journey initiated by Ho Nhan has created an important milestone for the Vietnamese biotechnology industry. His and Nanogen’s pioneering efforts have laid the foundation for future generations to develop globally applicable biological therapies.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cong-ty-nanogen-thoi-ong-ho-nhan-tung-duoc-dinh-gia-toi-5100-ti-dong-196250513133131413.htm