How did Hanmi Pharmaceutical develop Eppe after its Sanofi agreement?

Hanmi Pharmaceutical initially licensed Eppe to Sanofi in 2015 as a diabetes treatment. After Sanofi returned the rights in 2020, Hanmi decided to develop the drug independently as an obesity treatment.

When will Eppe launch in Korea and how will Hanmi position it against Wegovy and Mounjaro?

Hanmi Pharmaceutical is expected to launch Eppe in Korea by the end of this year and plans to manufacture it at its Pyeongtaek biopharmaceutical plant. As a late entrant, Eppe is expected to seek market share through more competitive pricing than Wegovy and Mounjaro.

Hanmi Pharm's obesity treatment Eppe wins domestic approval

Q: What is Eppe and who is it intended to treat?

Eppe is an injectable GLP-1-based obesity treatment developed by Hanmi Pharmaceutical. It is intended for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or adults who are overweight without diabetes, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.

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Summary

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Eppe in Korea on Thursday. Eppe is Korea’s first domestically developed GLP-1-based obesity treatment and the country’s 45th novel drug. Approved in five doses, it is intended for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight adults without diabetes. Hanmi plans to manufacture Eppe in Pyeongtaek and launch it in Korea by the end of this year.

Key Facts

Eppe has been approved in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 milligram doses.
The injectable drug is intended to be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical licensed the drug to Sanofi as a diabetes treatment in 2015, but the rights were returned in 2020.
Eppe is expected to compete with GLP-1-based obesity treatments Wegovy and Mounjaro and may be priced more competitively.
Hanmi plans to manufacture Eppe at its biopharmaceutical plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

By Nam Hyun-woo

Published Oct 8, 2026 4:29 pm KST

Hanmi Pharm headquarters in Songpa, Seoul / Courtesy of Hanmi Pharm

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Thursday approved Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Eppe, Korea's first domestically developed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based obesity treatment.

Eppe is the 45th novel drug developed in Korea and the country's first domestically developed GLP-1-based obesity drug. It has been approved in five doses: 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 milligrams.

According to the ministry, the injectable drug is intended for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or for those who are overweight and do not have diabetes, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.

The drug was initially licensed out to global pharmaceutical company Sanofi in 2015 as a diabetes treatment, but the rights were returned in 2020. Hanmi Pharm then decided to develop the drug as its own obesity treatment.

Eppe was initially expected to become Korea's 44th domestically developed new drug, but became the 45th after an eye treatment jointly developed by Aju Pharm and GL Pharm Tech received approval on Sept. 8.

Eppe is set to compete with leading GLP-1-based obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. As a late entrant seeking to gain market share, Eppe is expected to be priced more competitively than the two drugs. Hanmi Pharmaceutical plans to manufacture the drug at its own biopharmaceutical plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and is expected to launch it in Korea by the end of this year.

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