Singapore was never quite known for its medical prowess, save for the separation of the Nepalese twins and our famed plastic surgeon, Woffles Wu.

And when it came to initial public offerings, people would bet on sure things like manufacturing.

Even tech and water were quite volatile before investors started gaining keener interest in them.

The same goes for biomedical stocks.

Thanks to the relative pioneers in locally-listed biomed stocks like AsiaPharm and Pharmesis, investors have become more open-minded to this genre of listings.

So this is the perfect time for companies like International SOS (ISOS) and Rockeby Biomed to list on the Singapore market.

If they had attempted IPOs 5 years back, they may just pull a Chemoil because no one knew what they did or the potential they held.

The Business Times said in an article today that ISOS is considering a listing in Singapore, in addition to one in London and another on the Nasdaq in New York.

Rockeby Biomed CEO Dr Tan Sze Wee told me last Friday that his company is now considering a listing here because people are more in tuned with biomed counters.

This, in addition to how all his major shareholders are Singaporeans and they encouraged a local listing.

It's currently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

So while these companies haven't yet lodged their prospectuses with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, you may just want to pack aside some dough from your Christmas and Chinese New Year red packets for this genre of stocks.

Because it sure looks like an exciting new year for the biomedical industry in Singapore.

Serene Lim