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The Shield Therapeutics (LSE:STX) share price has rocketed in the last 12 months, surging from around 2.63p, all the way to 11p! And now that its market-cap has surged beyond the £100m threshold, the business has evolved from a niche penny stock into a rising pharmaceutical small-cap – a difficult and impressive feat.
But what caused all this? Why has the share price erupted over the past year, and should I be adding this business to my portfolio today?
What’s behind the share price surge?
Shield Therapeutics is a speciality commercial-stage pharma business focused on iron deficiency treatments and is the mastermind behind ACCRUFeR.
While ACCRUFeR isn’t a household name, the drug’s the first and currently only FDA-approved oral iron product that targets both iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia – something that over 20m people in the US suffer from. And just last month, the FDA extended approval for adolescents following positive results from phase three paediatric clinical trials.
The combination of regulatory approvals, widespread demand, and superior efficacy versus generic supplements has translated into impressive revenue growth. In the third quarter of 2025, the total number of active ACCRUFeR subscriptions reached 54,000, generating $13.1m in net revenue – an 82% year-on-year increase.
Despite barely scratching the surface of its target market, the business is already on the verge of turning free cash flow positive in 2026. And with losses shrinking rapidly, earnings are expected to follow as of 2027. And so it’s not surprising to see Shield Therapeutics’ share price surge on this critical inflexion point milestone.
Bull and bear cases
So 2026 looks to be an exciting year for this pharma enterprise. Shield Therapeutics has a first-mover advantage in a global market valued at around $5.6bn, on track to grow to $10.9bn by 2034. And the recent paediatric regulatory approval has only accelerated its trajectory, with similar approval expected in Europe later this year.
Combining this momentum with the expectation of positive free cash flows, the group’s risk profile has significantly been adjusted downward. However, that doesn’t mean Shield Therapeutics is a slam-dunk buy.
The business is almost entirely dependent on ACCRUFeR for its revenues, creating substantial single-product risk. If manufacturing is disrupted, a competing product enters the market, or health insurance companies refuse to cover the drug, revenue growth could become handicapped very quickly.
That’s particularly dangerous given the group’s continued cash burn rate. Its latest quarterly results show management still has $8.6m of cash & equivalents on its balance sheet as of last September. But that’s down from $10.8m in June. Therefore, if growth slows and consequently free cash flow generation fails to turn positive, the company could be forced to raise capital, likely through equity.
Time to buy?
There’s a lot to be excited about when looking at this business with a compelling bull case and ample room for substantial growth. However, there’s no denying the heightened degree of execution risk and limited financial margin of error.
It’s a classic high-risk/high-reward pharma stock. But with the company having already overcome the enormous challenges and barriers to pharma industry entry, I think Shield Therapeutics is definitely worthy of closer inspection for investors comfortable with volatility.
