The obesity treatment industry is increasingly focusing on 'high-quality weight loss,' which effectively reduces body fat while preserving or enhancing muscle mass. In this context, Hanmi Pharmaceutical garnered attention by unveiling the world's first peptide-based muscle-enhancing obesity treatment, 'LA-MSTN (HM500197),' at the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2026) conference in New Orleans.
Hanmi's presentation highlighted a new direction for obesity treatment development that addresses the muscle loss issues associated with GLP-1 based therapies and reduces the likelihood of weight regain.
On June 16, Hanmi reported that the ADA 2026 event was bustling with attendees eager to learn about the research findings on muscle-enhancing obesity drugs. The company noted that researchers and industry representatives from around the world expressed significant interest in the development strategies and unique features of the new obesity treatments HM17321 and HM500197.
HM500197 is the first peptide-based substance designed to selectively inhibit myostatin, a protein that regulates muscle growth, making it a next-generation muscle-enhancing treatment.
While GLP-1 based obesity treatments can achieve weight loss of 15-20% through appetite suppression, concerns have been raised about muscle loss and decreased basal metabolic rate, which can lead to weight regain after discontinuation. This has led to increased interest in combination studies that regulate the myostatin and activin pathways involved in muscle growth.
According to Hanmi, in vitro studies showed that HM500197 exhibited myostatin inhibition activity comparable to that of the antibody-based muscle-preserving drug, bimagrumab, without any observed inhibitory activity on non-target cytokines, demonstrating excellent myostatin selectivity.
In vivo studies revealed superior skeletal muscle-selective lean mass increase compared to bimagrumab, while minimizing off-target effects, indicating enhanced safety.
Notably, in a mouse model of obesity induced by a high-fat diet, HM500197 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in lean mass while selectively enhancing skeletal muscle mass. When administered in combination with GLP-1 class drugs, it effectively suppressed muscle loss and promoted fat-centered weight loss, providing scientific evidence for its potential in 'healthy weight loss' treatment.
Hanmi also reported that another muscle-enhancing obesity drug, 'LA-UCN2 (HM17321),' is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. At the conference, the company presented seven studies exploring the potential for combination therapies with various mechanisms, as well as the therapeutic potential in cardiovascular and kidney protection areas.
Hanmi's presentation highlighted a new direction for obesity treatment development that addresses the muscle loss issues associated with GLP-1 based therapies and reduces the likelihood of weight regain.
On June 16, Hanmi reported that the ADA 2026 event was bustling with attendees eager to learn about the research findings on muscle-enhancing obesity drugs. The company noted that researchers and industry representatives from around the world expressed significant interest in the development strategies and unique features of the new obesity treatments HM17321 and HM500197.
HM500197 is the first peptide-based substance designed to selectively inhibit myostatin, a protein that regulates muscle growth, making it a next-generation muscle-enhancing treatment.
While GLP-1 based obesity treatments can achieve weight loss of 15-20% through appetite suppression, concerns have been raised about muscle loss and decreased basal metabolic rate, which can lead to weight regain after discontinuation. This has led to increased interest in combination studies that regulate the myostatin and activin pathways involved in muscle growth.
According to Hanmi, in vitro studies showed that HM500197 exhibited myostatin inhibition activity comparable to that of the antibody-based muscle-preserving drug, bimagrumab, without any observed inhibitory activity on non-target cytokines, demonstrating excellent myostatin selectivity.
In vivo studies revealed superior skeletal muscle-selective lean mass increase compared to bimagrumab, while minimizing off-target effects, indicating enhanced safety.
Notably, in a mouse model of obesity induced by a high-fat diet, HM500197 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in lean mass while selectively enhancing skeletal muscle mass. When administered in combination with GLP-1 class drugs, it effectively suppressed muscle loss and promoted fat-centered weight loss, providing scientific evidence for its potential in 'healthy weight loss' treatment.
Hanmi also reported that another muscle-enhancing obesity drug, 'LA-UCN2 (HM17321),' is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. At the conference, the company presented seven studies exploring the potential for combination therapies with various mechanisms, as well as the therapeutic potential in cardiovascular and kidney protection areas.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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