Hanmi Pharmaceutical “Obesity Project Going Crucially… Second Half Critical Time”
A new obesity drug with a different mechanism from existing GLP-1 series such as Wigobi
Results to be announced at the American Society for Obesity in November
“Expecting a paradigm shift and market game changer”
Parallel development of obesity solution combining Korean-tailored obesity medication and digital medicine
Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on the 9th that the main tasks and clinical and non-clinical development within the obesity project ‘HOP (Hanmi Obesity Pipeline)’ that began operation in September of last year are progressing smoothly and producing visible results. HOP is a core project of Hanmi Pharmaceutical that sequentially introduces various customized treatments that can help in all areas of the obesity treatment cycle. While promoting the development of a Korean version of Saxenda (ingredient name: liraglutide) or Wigobi (semaglutide) optimized for Koreans, the ultimate goal is to complete a new drug that surpasses existing GLP-1 series treatments such as Saxenda or Wigobi.
In this context, a new concept obesity treatment that Hanmi Pharmaceutical has been developing as a private pipeline in the HOP project is noteworthy. Hanmi Pharmaceutical is developing a substance that overcomes the limitations of existing treatments that accompany muscle loss (up to 40% of weight loss) during weight loss. It has been designed as a new concept obesity treatment that increases muscle during weight loss with a completely different mechanism of action from the incretins (gut-secreting hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 is representative) of Saxenda and Wigovi. If the development of the treatment is successful, an era will become a reality where people can lose weight and increase muscle simply by taking drugs instead of eating and going to the gym to lose weight. It will be the ‘dream obesity drug’ that surpasses Saxenda and Wigovi.
Saxenda and Wigobi are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue drugs that regulate blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin secretion or suppressing glucagon secretion, and induce weight loss by making you feel full.
In the case of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, it plans to disclose the target and non-clinical research results of a candidate substance for obesity treatment with a different mechanism from Saxenda and Wigovi at the American Society for the Study of Obesity (ObesityWeek) in November. Hanmi Pharmaceutical emphasized that it expects that this undisclosed pipeline will be able to dramatically improve the qualitative level of weight loss not only with incretin combination but also as a monotherapy.
Efpeglenatide, the first to enter clinical trials as the leader of the HOP project, is said to be progressing smoothly in domestic phase 3 clinical trials. Efpeglenatide is being developed as a customized obesity treatment for Koreans that reflects the body type and weight of Koreans, and is explained to be differentiated from other pharmaceutical drugs. It is being developed as the first long-term GLP-1 obesity treatment new drug to which Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s proprietary platform technology ‘Labscovery’ is applied. The expected clinical completion date is the second half of 2026. It is expected to be launched in 2027 at the earliest.
In addition, the follow-up non-clinical research results of ‘HM15275’, another obesity treatment candidate that was first disclosed and received attention at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) last June, are scheduled to be presented at the American Society for the Study of Obesity this year. HM15275 is a next-generation innovative obesity treatment drug that is being developed following efpeglenatide. Hanmi Pharmaceutical introduced it as a treatment that can expect a weight loss effect of more than 25% while minimizing muscle loss. It is said to have been designed to be specialized in obesity treatment by optimizing the action of each of the three receptors, including GLP-1, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG), and to be effective on various metabolic diseases in addition. Currently, phase 1 clinical trials are in progress in the US, and the goal is to enter phase 2 clinical trials next year.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced that based on the HOP project, it is developing products that can correct the lifestyle and medication compliance of obese patients, from oral obesity treatment drugs to digital therapeutics that can be applied to obesity prevention and management. If successful, this will be the first case of a digital medical device convergence drug in Korea. In the obesity field, it is expected that the synergy effect of maximizing efficacy and improving safety will be achieved by converging Efpeglenatide, a Korean-tailored GLP-1 obesity drug currently under development by Hanmi Pharmaceutical, with digital medical devices.
A Hanmi Pharmaceutical official said, “The market has high expectations for Hanmi Pharmaceutical as it is the most advanced company among domestic pharmaceutical and bio companies not only in terms of the timing of the launch of the new obesity drug but also in terms of research and know-how in the development of obesity and metabolic disease treatments,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure that the first new obesity drug developed by a Korean pharmaceutical company with its own technology from start to finish can be quickly and successfully launched.”
Meanwhile, Hanmi Pharmaceutical plans to introduce innovative projects under development in key disease areas such as obesity and metabolism pipelines, rare diseases, and anticancer at several global academic conferences in the second half of this year. It is known that there are currently a total of 13 research projects scheduled for presentation.
Choi In-young, head of Hanmi’s R&D Center, said, “The second half of this year will be an important time to showcase our research achievements on the global stage,” adding, “The new concept obesity treatment candidate that we will unveil for the first time at the American Society for the Study of Obesity is designed to present a new paradigm for obesity treatment as a monotherapy and to be used in combination with existing treatments. We expect this to be an opportunity to demonstrate the global competitiveness of Hanmi’s Obesity Project (HOP).”
Kim Min-beom, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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2024-09-09 09:21:08