Hanmi Pharmaceutical(128940) is combining digital with the obesity drug "eppe." The idea is to let patients who are prescribed an obesity drug record weight loss, meals, exercise, and the frequency of side effects with a smartphone app. Doctors can review these records to craft treatment strategies suitable for the patient. Hanmi Pharmaceutical plans to use this to improve patients' lifestyle habits as well.
◇ After getting an obesity drug prescription, manage health with a smartphone app
On the 6th, the pharmaceutical industry said Hanmi Pharmaceutical is developing eppe as a digital-convergence medicine. This means combining a pharmaceutical with digital tools to maximize treatment effectiveness.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical plans to launch eppe within the year. Separately, it will file an IND for a phase 3 clinical trial of the digital-convergence medicine in the third quarter of this year with the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, with a plan to enable eppe to be used as Korea's first digital-convergence medicine as early as 2028.
Like Wegovy and Mounjaro, eppe is a drug that mimics the glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 hormone. GLP-1, which is secreted from the small intestine after meals, slows the speed at which food moves through the stomach to increase satiety. However, as weight drops, muscle loss can occur, and when the drug is stopped, appetite can return, causing a yo-yo effect—an inherent limitation.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical chose a smartphone app to overcome this. For example, while taking an obesity drug, patients can record in the app what they ate, how much they exercised, and whether adverse reactions occurred. Based on this, doctors can set an appropriate obesity drug dose or weight-loss goals for each patient. Artificial intelligence (AI) also provides personalized advice through the app.
The company said the aim is to help patients avoid dropping out of obesity treatment and finish the course with their care teams. Vice President Kim Na-young of Hanmi Pharmaceutical (head of Innovation Growth) said, "We can manage even patients' lifestyle habits with digital," adding, "We plan to help people not only lose weight but also maintain good health over the long term."
◇ Three-way battle in Korea's obesity drug market… "Beyond weight loss to lifestyle improvement"
Eppe was originally developed by Hanmi Pharmaceutical as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The technology was out-licensed to the global drugmaker Sanofi in 2015, but rights were returned in 2020 when Sanofi changed its business strategy. Hanmi Pharmaceutical then focused on eppe's weight-loss effect. It is being developed as an obesity drug tailored to Koreans, who have a lower body mass index (BMI), and is characterized by fewer side effects such as vomiting.
Korea's existing obesity drug market is divided between Wegovy from Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro from Eli Lilly and Company. With Hanmi Pharmaceutical's eppe entering, a three-way battle is expected. As a latecomer, Hanmi Pharmaceutical is expected to emphasize fewer side effects and the ability for long-term management. It is also said to be considering ways to digitally manage not only obesity but also diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
This is part of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's H.O.P (Hanmi Obesity Pipeline) project. The company is pursuing a project to sequentially introduce various therapies in line with the obesity treatment cycle. A Hanmi Pharmaceutical official said, "We will usher in an era of healthy weight management."