The criteria for choosing obesity treatment injections are shifting from 'which company's drug' to 'which ingredient at what dosage.'

Following Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in 2021 and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro in 2023, a new drug with Hanmi Pharmaceutical's efbeglenatide ingredient will join the same market in 2026. This marks the first time a domestically developed new drug has been added to the options that were previously shared by two global pharmaceutical companies.

◆Once-Weekly Injection, Equal in Convenience The most obvious commonality among the three products is the dosing schedule. Wegovy, Mounjaro, and the efbeglenatide-based new drug are all administered once weekly, so there is no difference in terms of convenience alone. The competition will be decided by ingredients, dosage design, and each product's touted strengths.

◆Three Different Ingredients... Semaglutide vs. Tirzepatide vs. Efbeglenatide The ingredients differ from the start. Wegovy's main ingredient is semaglutide, Mounjaro's is tirzepatide, and Hanmi's new drug uses efbeglenatide as its active ingredient.

Wegovy is the world's first GLP-1-class obesity treatment, positioned as a successor to the existing obesity drug Saxenda. Mounjaro gained recognition as a type 2 diabetes treatment and touts weight loss effects more powerful than Wegovy's. Tirzepatide acts on the GIP receptor as well as GLP-1.

◆Comparing Dosage Systems... Titration Steps Determine Prescription Flexibility The dosage systems are also structured differently for each product.

• Wegovy: five steps from 0.25mg up to 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg
• Mounjaro: six steps from 2.5mg up to 15mg in 2.5mg increments
• Efbeglenatide-based new drug: five steps of 2mg, 4mg, 6mg, 8mg, and 10mg, titrated uniformly in 2mg increments

Dosage steps are tied to the process of reducing early side effects while maximizing efficacy, making them a factor that determines the range of adjustment in clinical prescribing.

◆Two Differentiators Efbeglenatide Highlights The efbeglenatide-based new drug emphasizes two differentiators: it is the first domestic GLP-1-class new drug, and it is optimized for the characteristics of Korean patients. Unlike existing products developed primarily through overseas clinical trials, it stresses a design that takes domestic patient populations into account.

For Hanmi Pharmaceutical, efbeglenatide carries significance as the first case of a domestic product entering a market preempted by global pharmaceutical companies. The remaining variables are the selling price and supply date.

[This article was written based on publicly available product comparison materials. The prescription and use of medicines should follow the judgment of medical professionals. This article is not a recommendation to invest in any particular stock, and responsibility for investment decisions lies with the investor. AI provided partial assistance.]