[Good Brain 2026] Hanmi’s Choe In-Young: “Potential of GLP-1 Noted for Simultaneously Reducing Dementia Risk Factors”

Statistical Significance Observed in Younger Patients

"Proving Direct Effects on Degenerative Brain Diseases Remains a Challenge"

Choe In-Young, Vice President and Head of Future Growth Division at Hanmi Pharmaceutical, stated on the 3rd, "With regard to diseases such as dementia, there is growing attention on the potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) as a drug that can intervene before brain damage occurs."

Vice President Choe shared these views during her lecture at the "Good Brain Conference 2026," hosted by The Asia Business Daily, held on the theme "Brain Revolution: How GLP-1 Will Change the Future of Humanity" on the 3rd at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

As a basis for explaining the possible applications of GLP-1 in brain disorders, Vice President Choe referred to the list of dementia risk factors. She noted, "Recent research points out that the risk factors for dementia are almost identical to those for metabolic disorders."

Major risk factors for dementia include glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and kidney function. Vice President Choe explained, "Since GLP-1 is a treatment for diabetes, it can naturally help lower HbA1c, and by promoting weight loss, it can also reduce the BMI risk factor. It has also been shown to improve cardiac and kidney function." She emphasized that a single drug may potentially act on multiple indicators associated with dementia at the same time.

Choi Inyoung, Executive Vice President and Head of Future Growth Division at Hanmi Pharmaceutical, is giving a lecture titled "From Weight Loss Drugs to Brain Protection Drugs" at the '2026 Good Brain Conference' hosted by The Asia Business Daily on the 3rd, held at the Western Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

She also mentioned the possibility that GLP-1 could influence lifestyle-related risk factors. According to small-scale clinical trials, GLP-1 has been reported to suppress addictive behaviors, significantly reducing smoking and alcohol consumption. This, she explained, provides medical evidence that GLP-1 can help reduce risk factors for dementia.

Vice President Choe added, "In animal models, it has been confirmed that GLP-1 administration restores insulin resistance, and this effect has also been partially observed in humans. Notably, insulin signaling is involved in the elimination of amyloid beta proteins and the regulation of inflammatory responses, making this particularly significant."

The potential of GLP-1 to regulate "brain inflammation," which can accelerate the progression of degenerative brain diseases, is another key aspect highlighted by Vice President Choe. She stated, "A large body of data indicates that GLP-1 reduces inflammatory responses in microglia in the brain and systemic inflammation in the body. Its related effects have been verified in immune disorders such as psoriasis, and meaningful results have been observed in multiple sclerosis models."

She further suggested the potential for GLP-1 to slow "disconnection between neural cells," a process in the progression of degenerative brain diseases. Vice President Choe noted, "There is accumulating data that GLP-1 helps maintain connections between neurons and supports the survival of nerve cells in the brain, while also promoting the creation of new neurons. It is therefore likely to contribute to improving brain signal transmission."

Hanmi Pharmaceutical has secured early-stage data through joint research with global research institutions showing that GLP-1 can induce the proliferation of neural stem cells in the adult brain. The efficacy of GLP-1 for treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease has also been presented at multiple academic conferences using animal models. Of course, it remains difficult to draw definitive conclusions about its therapeutic effects based only on existing clinical results.

However, according to Vice President Choe, recent studies have shown statistically significant therapeutic effects in relatively younger patients with a higher number of remaining neurons. She commented, "Depending on how a clinical trial is designed and how patients are selected, the characteristics of the appropriate indication could change." This means that in addition to the efficacy of the drug, the stage of disease progression and the selection of patient groups could be key variables influencing the results.

Regarding the potential expansion of indications for GLP-1 class drugs, Vice President Choe stated, "Starting from type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 is now being applied to a wide variety of conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and osteoarthritis." She added, "Given that there may be around 200 comorbidities caused by obesity, I believe GLP-1 drugs have the potential to address their root causes as well." Concerning obesity—the most widely known indication for GLP-1 drugs—she predicted, "The focus will shift from simply how much weight is lost to improving the overall quality of weight loss."

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