By Julie Zhu
HONG KONG, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Shanghai Henlius Biotech, backed by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, launched on Wednesday its Hong Kong IPO of up to $477 million, a term-sheet showed, the first sizeable float to test market sentiment amid the city's political unrest.
The company, which started gauging investor demand on Aug. 26, is selling 12% of its enlarged share capital in the initial public offering at a price range of HK$49.6 to HK$57.8 ($6.33-$7.37), according to the term sheet seen by Reuters.
The price range represents a valuation of about $3 billion-$3.5 billion prior to the float, versus $3 billion in a pre-IPO fundraising in November 2018.
Henlius has also lined up a total of $140 million from four cornerstone investors. Qatar Investment Authority has made the biggest commitment of $90 million, the term-sheet shows.
The float will be a key gauge of investor appetite after China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd last month delayed plans for a $15 billion listing amid the city's political turmoil.
Henlius, a developer of innovative drugs and biosimilars - which are not exact replicas but are as effective as the original drug, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ($1 = 7.1049 Chinese yuan) ($1 = 7.8402 Hong Kong dollars) (Reporting by Julie Zhu; Editing by Himani Sarkar)