Hanmi Pharmaceutical's "Muscle-Growth Obesity Treatment" and More Spotlighted at U.S. Obesity Conference

Hanmi Pharmaceutical has once again participated in the ObesityWeek 2025 conference in the United States this year, following last year, showcasing its new drug development capabilities with innovative obesity treatments such as the "novel obesity treatment (LA-UCN2·HM17321)" that simultaneously achieves weight loss and muscle gain.

By making presentations for two consecutive years, Hanmi Pharmaceutical has reinforced its presence in the United States, the world's largest pharmaceutical market. The company is now recognized as having secured future growth engines that will propel it to become a key global player, based on its technological competitiveness compared to major global pharmaceutical companies.

Researchers from Hanmi Pharmaceutical's R&D Center and clinical team are explaining the research on the novel obesity treatment HM17321 and the next-generation triple-action obesity treatment HM15275 to attendees at the ObesityWeek 2025 conference. Hanmi Pharmaceutical

According to Hanmi Pharmaceutical on November 10, the company announced that from November 4 to 7 (local time), it presented four research results on two new obesity drugs-the novel obesity treatment (LA-UCN2·HM17321) and the next-generation triple-action obesity treatment (LA-GLP/GIP/GCG·HM15275)-at the ObesityWeek 2025 conference held in Atlanta, United States.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical is advancing the clinical development of HM17321 and HM15275 in the field of obesity treatment, aiming for "first-in-class" and "best-in-class" status, respectively, based on multi-layered mechanisms and differentiated strategies.

The company presented three preclinical research results on HM17321, which is designed to achieve "high-quality weight loss" by simultaneously promoting muscle hypertrophy and fat breakdown.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical designed HM17321, a non-incretin obesity drug differentiated from existing incretin (such as GLP-1) classes, using its proprietary advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and structural modeling platform, HARP (Hanmi AI-driven Research Platform).

At this conference, Hanmi Pharmaceutical generated significant attention by presenting a case study that demonstrated how its unique drug design capabilities, powered by AI integration, enabled rapid progression to the clinical stage. Earlier this month, HM17321 received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), entering clinical development.

Additionally, Hanmi Pharmaceutical reported that, in a diet-induced obese animal model, administration of HM17321 promoted muscle growth through activation of the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway in muscle tissue, while in adipose tissue, it induced lipolysis and inhibited lipogenesis, resulting in reduced fat mass. The study also observed improvements in metabolic function, such as enhanced insulin resistance, according to changes in body composition.

Another presentation revealed that, in high-fat diet-induced obese animal models, the patterns of body composition changes were clearly distinguished between those administered HM17321 and those given semaglutide. The HM17321 group showed a greater reduction in fat mass and a significant increase in muscle mass compared to the semaglutide group, as well as higher energy expenditure, leading to a more favorable energy balance shift.

Furthermore, continuous administration of HM17321 demonstrated positive effects on blood glucose control. In both intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (ipGTT) and insulin tolerance tests (ITT), the HM17321 group showed superior blood glucose regulation compared to the semaglutide group.

HM17321 not only increased muscle mass but also improved overall muscle function, including exercise efficiency, blood glucose, and energy metabolism, demonstrating its potential to induce high-quality weight management. These research results provide clear evidence that HM17321 is differentiated from existing muscle-preserving therapies.

The precisely engineered triple-action agent "HM15275," developed based on Hanmi Pharmaceutical's expertise in incretin research, is optimized for obesity treatment by targeting the receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG). It is also designed to be effective for various metabolic diseases as secondary benefits.

At this conference, Hanmi Pharmaceutical presented additional analysis from phase 1 clinical trials of HM15275, confirming not only its favorable safety and tolerability but also its pharmacokinetic properties that support long-term efficacy. In addition to previously confirmed data on weight loss, blood glucose control, and safety profiles, the company disclosed results from lipid tests and immunogenicity analyses. HM15275 has received IND approval from the U.S. FDA to enter phase 2 clinical trials and is currently in phase 2 development.

Choi Inyoung, Executive Vice President and Head of the R&D Center, stated, "The research results for HM17321 and HM15275, presented at major international conferences such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2025) in June, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD 2025) in September, and ObesityWeek 2025 in November, are achievements that demonstrate Hanmi's innovative technological capabilities on the global stage, based on over 20 years of accumulated scientific expertise in the incretin and metabolic disease fields." He added, "We are committed to successfully developing globally innovative new drugs that deliver 'healthy weight loss' and further enhance the quality of life for obesity patients worldwide."

Meanwhile, according to patent analysis data provided by the global data analytics company GlobalData Plc, Hanmi Group ranked first in the world in the number of patents in the field of obesity and metabolic GLP-1 class from 2021 to 2023.

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