SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanmi Pharm announced today that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Hanmi's novel metabolic treatment candidate, HM17321 (UCN2), for obesity and associated conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, worldwide. The agreement excludes South Korea.
HM17321 is a proprietary UCN2 (urocortin-2) analog with a non-incretin mechanism of action and represents a potential first-in-class treatment designed to simultaneously promote weight loss and preserve lean body mass. In contrast, while existing GLP-1 based incretin therapies have demonstrated meaningful weight reduction, these therapies are associated with a reduction in lean body mass.
In preclinical studies, HM17321 has shown both quantitative and qualitative improvements in weight reduction when used as a monotherapy and in combination with GLP-1-based therapies. Furthermore, as a peptide-based therapeutic, HM17321 may have future potential for use in fixed-dose combination (FDC) products or combination regimens with incretin-based treatments.
In November 2025, Hanmi received IND (Investigational New Drug) clearance from the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of HM17321. The ongoing clinical study is evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of HM17321 in healthy volunteers and individuals with obesity.
Hanmi will be responsible for completing the Phase 1 clinical trial, after which Genentech will take over development starting with Phase 2 clinical trials.
In-Young Choi, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of R&D Division of Hanmi Pharm stated, "The paradigm of obesity treatment is evolving beyond simple weight reduction toward improving body composition and restoring metabolic health. We are very pleased that the differentiated scientific mechanism and development potential of HM17321 have been recognized by the global market. Hanmi Pharm will continue to dedicate its efforts to developing innovative medicines that can deliver more fundamental and differentiated therapeutic value to patients."
"With our growing cardiometabolic pipeline and strong diagnostic expertise, Roche is advancing a portfolio designed to meet the diverse needs of people living with obesity and related health conditions," said Boris L. Zaïtra, head of Roche Corporate Business Development. "By licensing this next-generation investigational therapy with first-in-class potential from Hanmi, Roche and Genentech will pursue a differentiated approach to selectively reduce fat mass while improving both muscle mass and muscle function. We look forward to further developing this medicine in order to address important unmet needs for people living with obesity and other metabolic diseases."
Under the terms of the agreement, Hanmi will receive an upfront payment of USD 190 million from Genentech. Including development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, the total deal value could reach approximately USD 2.3 billion. In addition, Hanmi will be eligible to receive tiered royalties on future product sales following commercialization.
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