Hanmi seeks to gain on Wegovy with its own weight-loss drug
Published: 16 Jan. 2025, 13:18
Updated: 16 Jan. 2025, 18:38
-
- LEE JAE-LIM
- [email protected]
![Hanmi Pharmaceutical Senior Vice President Choi In-young, head of the R&D center, speaks to Korean media outlets at a press conference held in San Francisco, California, on Jan. 15. [LEE JAE-LIM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/16/6cd9028d-539d-4bb5-97a8-47858f7ae19a.jpg)
Hanmi Pharmaceutical Senior Vice President Choi In-young, head of the R&D center, speaks to Korean media outlets at a press conference held in San Francisco, California, on Jan. 15. [LEE JAE-LIM]
SAN FRANCISCO — Hanmi Pharmaceutical aims to disrupt the obesity drug market currently led by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk with its own diverse range of weight-loss treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of patients, beginning with its “Korean-customized” obesity drug Efpeglenatide.
Efpeglenatide is the mildest version among the three key drug candidates targeting obesity patients, a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist that is undergoing a Phase 3 clinical trial in Korea. Expected market launch is set for 2027.
GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, is a hormone naturally produced in the body that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels and appetite. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound are medications based on GLP-1.
“We say that it is tailored for domestic patients because it does not drastically reduce weight as our other two candidates do, nor is it prone to the common side effects of the drug,” said Hanmi Pharma’s Senior Vice President Choi In-young, head of the R&D center, at a press conference with Korean media outlets held in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday during the week of the 43rd J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
“The drug targets patients who want to ‘safely’ lose weight but comparably do not need to lose as much weight as other obese patients. It is specialized in preventing cardiovascular diseases. It has low side effects, making it a good option when starting treatment. Later on, nausea tends to subside as people adapt, and most barely notice it.”
Obesity rates in Korea are notably lower than Western countries. World Health Organization data from 2022 showed that the prevalence of obesity among adults in Korea was 6.73 percent, whereas the figure was 42.87 percent in the United States.
In addition to Efpeglenatide, the company’s standout “game changer” candidates are HM15275, a triple agonist targeting GLP-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon receptors, and HM17321, a novel drug that targets the corticotropin-releasing factor 2 receptor to selectively reduce fat while enhancing muscle mass.
Candidate HM15275 is currently in phase 1 clinical trials in the United States, while HM17321 is in preclinical development, with a phase 1 investigational new drug application expected to be filed in the second half of this year.
“The mechanism for increasing the number of muscle cells, in case of HM17321, involves the differentiation of cells into muscle cells,” Choi said. “According to the data we have, the muscle created by our compound serves natural muscle’s two key bodily functions, both in terms of mechanical strength and as a metabolic reservoir. The critical point is not just that muscle is being formed, but whether it actually works properly — of which I can confidently vouch for our treatment.”
The combined use of HM17321 and HM15275 would also be possible to address different needs of patients in different stages of obesity.
“In the future, obesity patients will likely be segmented into diverse categories, and it will become more critical to develop drugs tailored to their specific conditions,” Choi said. “Our ultimate goal is to build a comprehensive portfolio that meets such diverse needs. […] However, we recognize that our financial resources are limited compared to big pharma giants, but our competitiveness lies in strong research capabilities — which, I believe, partners that we’ve been in discussions with [at the conference] recognize. We hope tangible results could be reaped so that we can take the next step toward becoming a global company.”
BY LEE JAE-LIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)