Korean new obesity drugs showcased at ADA 2024 in US

Several Korean biopharmaceutical companies released their research results on obesity drugs under development during the American Diabetes Association’s annual conference (ADA 2024) at the Orlando Convention Center, Fla., from last Friday to Monday, raising expectations for commercialization.

At ADA 2024, seven Korean companies -- Hanmi Pharm, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Dong-A ST, ProGen, Hyundai Pharm, Peptron, and Inventage Lab -- presented their findings.

Hanmi Pharm presented four posters on key nonclinical findings of HM15275, a next-generation triple-agonist for treating obesity. While most obesity treatments act on a single GLP-1 receptor to reduce appetite, HM15275 is specialized in treating obesity by optimizing the action of each of the three receptors -- glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG), according to the company.

GIP can relieve nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which are common gastrointestinal side effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists while glucagon is involved in regulating satiety as well as blood sugar, energy consumption, and lipid metabolism. Hanmi Pharmaceutical recently initiated a phase 1 clinical trial of HM15275.

Dong-A ST, in collaboration with its subsidiary NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, presented a poster on the preclinical results of DA-1726. DA-1726 is a drug candidate in development as an oxyntomodulin analog for treating obesity. It acts simultaneously on GLP-1 receptors and glucagon receptors to suppress appetite, stimulate insulin secretion, and increase peripheral metabolism, leading to weight loss and glycemic control.

DA-1726 is being studied in a global phase 1 single-dose ascending and a phase 2 multiple-dose ascending clinical trial, which is expected to conclude in the first half of 2025.

In a poster session, ProGen presented nonclinical and early clinical results from PG-102, its next-generation dual-target obesity and diabetes therapy. PG-102 is a dual agonist for both GLP-1 and GLP-2 receptors.

According to ProGen, while existing GLP-1 analogs relieve symptoms by increasing insulin secretion and inducing improvement in insulin resistance, PG-102 has been shown to prevent the destruction of pancreatic beta cells, the primary cause of diabetes, leading to disease healing.

Results from a phase 1a Single Ascending Dose (SAD) trial of PG-102 were also presented, confirming its safety and tolerability. ProGen is now conducting a phase 1b trial.

"At ADA 2024, the competitiveness of dual and triple agonists that can compensate for GLP-1 weaknesses in the treatment of obesity and diabetes were highlighted," said a report by Hana Securities Research Center’s Global Investment Analysis Office. "Global pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly announced 34 and 37 studies, respectively, confirming the importance of the GLP-1 receptor agonist market."

At ADA 2024, Daewoong Pharmaceutical presented the results of an integrated analysis of the phase 3 clinical trial of Envlo, a SGLT-2 inhibitor diabetes drug developed by the company, in combination with metformin, in patients with mild renal insufficiency who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar.