HM15275, a next-generation obesity treatment under development by Hanmi Pharmaceutical (128940), has been assigned the international nonproprietary name zantrutide. Hanmi plans to differentiate the drug from existing treatments by developing it to pursue both weight loss and minimal muscle loss.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical said on the 23rd that the World Health Organization has officially registered zantrutide as the international nonproprietary name, or INN, for HM15275. An INN is a name designated by the WHO so that a drug's active ingredient can be referred to consistently worldwide. The system is intended to help researchers, medical institutions and regulators share drug information and to prevent confusion over naming.
Zantrutide is a triple agonist that acts on three receptors: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon. It is designed to reduce body weight by combining the effects of each receptor to suppress appetite and increase energy expenditure. Following efpeglenatide, it is drawing attention as the second pipeline asset in H.O.P., Hanmi Pharmaceutical's obesity drug development project.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical is developing zantrutide with the goal of achieving weight loss of more than 25% while minimizing muscle loss. The aim is not simply to cut weight sharply but to improve the quality of weight loss by taking muscle preservation and metabolic health into account. The company is currently conducting Phase 2 trials in the United States for obesity and diabetes, with the Phase 2 obesity trial expected to conclude in the first half of 2027. Hanmi said it plans to broaden development beyond obesity to a range of metabolic diseases.
"The official registration of zantrutide's international nonproprietary name is significant in that it secures a globally recognized name for one of Hanmi's promising research and development assets, raising its future value and visibility as a global new drug asset," said Choi In-young, executive vice president and head of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's future growth division.