Hanmi Pharm to Unveil Second "Muscle-Enhancing" Anti-Obesity Drug at Next Month's ADA Meeting in the US

Presentation of Research Results on Two "Muscle-Increasing" Anti-Obesity Drugs

On May 27, Hanmi Pharm announced that it will unveil the world's first peptide-based myostatin inhibition mechanism, an "innovative anti-obesity drug" that simultaneously increases muscle mass and improves muscle function.

Hanmi Pharm, the core business subsidiary of Hanmi Science, stated that it will participate in the "American Diabetes Association (ADA 2026)" conference, held from June 5 to 8 in New Orleans, USA, where it will present research results on two novel anti-obesity drugs: "novel concept obesity treatment (LA-UCN2·HM17321)" and "next-generation muscle enhancement therapy (LA-MSTN·HM500197)." A total of eight research results will be unveiled at the event.

The next-generation muscle enhancement therapy "LA-MSTN (HM500197)," which is being revealed for the first time, represents a new pipeline that is distinct from the existing innovative anti-obesity drug "LA-UCN2 (HM17321)." As a result, Hanmi Pharm is now recognized as having secured two pillars of next-generation drug pipelines in the muscle-strengthening-based obesity treatment field. In particular, considerable anticipation is building as the development strategy, differentiation points, and preclinical research results for HM500197 will be presented for the first time.

Currently, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) class anti-obesity drugs have demonstrated excellent weight-loss effects, but it has been consistently reported that approximately 20 to 40 percent of the reduced weight is associated with a loss of lean body mass. Excessive reduction in skeletal muscle, in particular, can lead to decreased basal metabolic rate, reduced muscle strength, and diminished physical function, making it a crucial factor for long-term weight maintenance and the health of elderly patients.

Within the global pharmaceutical and biotech industry, there is growing interest in combination therapies that regulate the myostatin and activin pathways—which play key roles in muscle growth—to address the limitations of existing GLP-1 class treatments.

However, the pipeline candidates currently under development in the industry are all focused on antibody and Fc-fusion protein approaches, which are characterized by relatively large molecular sizes. This creates clear limitations for co-formulation with incretin-based therapies. Moreover, because these mechanisms often inhibit various ligands simultaneously, there are concerns that they may affect non-target physiological pathways, raising safety issues.

Designed as a "peptide-based compound," HM500197 is the fourth key pipeline of the H.O.P project, created to overcome the limitations of antibody-based approaches. It is an innovative drug candidate derived using Hanmi’s proprietary new drug design capabilities and its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and structural modeling technology platform, HARP (Hanmi AI-driven Research Platform).

Through its obesity drug project, "H.O.P (Hanmi Obesity Pipeline)," Hanmi Pharm is building a full-cycle obesity portfolio that can offer "patient-tailored treatment solutions" based on a segmented strategy reflecting weight and metabolic characteristics.

Hanmi is systematically preparing all necessary steps for the successful commercialization within this year of "efeglenatide," the leading candidate of the H.O.P project, and has launched a cross-company task force to further enhance execution.

The "next-generation triple-action anti-obesity drug (LA-GLP/GIP/GCG, HM15275)," which will continue the innovation of efeglenatide, and the "world’s first muscle-increasing anti-obesity drug (LA-UCN2, HM17321)" have each smoothly entered Phase 2 and Phase 1 clinical trials in the United States, respectively, and are progressing well through their clinical stages.

Choi Inyoung, Head of Future Growth at Hanmi Pharm, stated, "Among domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies, Hanmi is leading in the independent development and commercialization timeline of anti-obesity drugs. Based on our unparalleled R&D capabilities accumulated in the field of metabolic diseases over many years, we are creating 'the anti-obesity drugs of the future.' We are committed to successfully completing the development of globally innovative new drugs so that obese patients worldwide can achieve 'healthy weight loss'—effectively reducing body fat while actually strengthening muscle."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.