Hanmi Pharmaceutical to launch domestic obesity drug Effe

Hanmi Pharmaceutical is set to begin prescribing Effe (efpeglenatide), South Korea’s first domestically developed GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity, starting October 29. The weekly subcutaneous injection is designed to suppress appetite and delay gastric emptying to promote weight loss.

Effe is expected to compete aggressively with established imported treatments such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro. A key competitive advantage is its pricing; the initial 4-week supply cost for the lowest dose is approximately 130,000 KRW, which is significantly lower than the 200,000+ KRW range of its competitors.

Clinical Phase 3 interim results showed an average weight reduction of 9.75% over 40 weeks. Hanmi Pharmaceutical noted that the drug was optimized for Korean physiological standards, having been tested on 448 Korean participants. The company projects annual sales for Effe could reach between 150 billion and 200 billion KRW by 2027, as the domestic obesity treatment market continues to expand.