As the global obesity treatment market rapidly evolves beyond simple weight reduction, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focusing on therapies that preserve muscle mass and improve long-term metabolic health. Industry experts say the next phase of competition in obesity care will center not only on how much weight patients lose, but also on how effectively treatments maintain physical function and body composition.
Against this backdrop, Hanmi Pharm is positioning itself in the emerging market for next-generation obesity therapeutics designed to address the limitations of current GLP-1-based treatments.
The company announced that it will present eight research studies at the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2026) meeting in New Orleans from June 5 to 8, including new data on its obesity pipeline candidates HM500197 and HM17321.
Among the highlights is HM500197 (LA-MSTN), a peptide-based myostatin inhibitor being introduced publicly for the first time. Hanmi says the candidate is designed to target both weight reduction and muscle preservation, an area gaining attention as concerns grow over muscle loss associated with rapid weight reduction therapies.
The obesity treatment market has recently been dominated by GLP-1 therapies developed by companies such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Company. While those drugs have demonstrated strong weight-loss efficacy, studies have also pointed to reductions in lean body mass and skeletal muscle during treatment.
Researchers increasingly view muscle preservation as a critical factor for maintaining metabolic health, especially among elderly patients and individuals with chronic diseases. As a result, pharmaceutical companies are expanding research into therapies targeting myostatin and activin pathways associated with muscle growth and body composition regulation.
According to Hanmi, HM500197 was developed as part of its H.O.P. (Hanmi Obesity Pipeline) project using the company’s proprietary AI-driven drug discovery platform, HARP (Hanmi AI-driven Research Platform). The company says the peptide-based approach may offer advantages in formulation flexibility and combination therapy potential compared with antibody-based approaches currently under development elsewhere in the industry.
Hanmi is also advancing HM17321 (LA-UCN2), a UCN2 analog designed to improve body composition and support healthier weight management. The company says the candidate is currently progressing through clinical development stages in the United States.
Industry analysts say the obesity drug market is entering a broader transition phase in which future therapies are expected to focus on metabolic quality, muscle maintenance, and long-term health outcomes rather than weight reduction alone.
“The market is moving toward the concept of ‘healthy weight loss,’” one industry observer said. “Future competitiveness may depend on whether companies can simultaneously address fat reduction, muscle preservation, and metabolic stability.”
Hanmi is simultaneously expanding its broader obesity pipeline strategy, which includes the commercialization preparation of efpeglenatide and the development of next-generation triple agonist candidate HM15275.
Choi In-young, head of Hanmi Pharm’s Future Growth Division, said the company aims to strengthen its position in the evolving obesity treatment market through differentiated metabolic disease research.
“We are focusing on developing innovative obesity therapies that can reduce body fat while helping preserve muscle function,” Choi said. “Based on Hanmi’s long-standing R&D capabilities in metabolic diseases, we aim to expand our competitiveness in the global obesity drug market.”
