Merck Picks Up Hanmi’s Dual Agonist Efinopegdutide, But For NASH

Repurposed Promise In Competitive Indication

 
• By Jung Won Shin
  
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Hanmi licenses out GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonist for NASH to Merck, in a deal worth up to $870m, marking a positive turn for the Korean firm's pipeline after Janssen returned rights last year.

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Hanmi’s First Major Licensing Out Deal For Years • Source: Shutterstock

Merck & Co., Inc. (known as MSD outside North America) and Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have reached an exclusive licensing agreement for the development, manufacture and commercialization of efinopegdutide (formerly HM12525A), Hanmi’s investigational once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/glucagon receptor dual agonist, for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in a deal worth up to $870m.

The major transaction marks a significant turnaround for both Hanmi and the assets, after Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. returned its...

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