Daewoong, Yuhan, Dongguk and others accelerate development using proprietary DDS platforms, challenging Wegovy and Zepbound's grip on the market

Obesity drugs Wegovy and Saxenda. [Yonhap]
Obesity drugs Wegovy and Saxenda. [Yonhap]

South Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies are racing to develop long-acting formulations of obesity drugs that would dramatically extend dosing intervals, staking their claim in one of the most fiercely contested segments of the global drug market.

The goal is to leapfrog Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly's Zepbound (tirzepatide) — both currently administered as weekly injections — by engineering a once-monthly formulation that would maximize patient convenience and potentially reshape the competitive landscape.

Major domestic pharmaceutical companies and biotech ventures alike are throwing their full weight behind long-acting obesity drug pipelines, each leveraging proprietary drug delivery system (DDS) platforms to gain an edge.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical has teamed up with domestic biotech venture Tionlab Therapeutics to develop a once-monthly semaglutide-based obesity treatment. The collaboration combines Tionlab's proprietary Quject Sphere platform with Daewoong's CURE platform to produce a long-acting monthly injectable. Quject Sphere uses microparticle coating through a specialized formulation blend to suppress the "initial burst" effect — a surge of drug release immediately after injection that can cause severe nausea and dizziness. Layered on top is Daewoong's CURE process technology, which uses an inlet nozzle process to manufacture microspheres of uniform particle size. After blocking that initial rapid release, the technology sustains a steady, consistent release rate throughout the entire month with minimal variance.

The two companies completed their domestic investigational new drug (IND) application in April and are targeting first patient dosing before the end of the year. Daewoong has further expanded its portfolio by adding a long-acting injectable to its existing oral and microneedle patch options, completing a treatment strategy that spans a broad range of delivery methods.

Daewoong's entry has quickened the pace among those already in the race. Yuhan Corporation is co-developing IVL3021 with biotech venture Inventage Lab. The candidate, built on Inventage Lab's proprietary Microfluidics platform, has demonstrated a uniform drug release profile with no initial burst. In minipig animal studies, a single dose maintained stable blood drug concentrations for more than 42 days. Yuhan will take the lead on later-stage clinical development and global commercialization.

Companies charting independent courses on the strength of their platform technology are also moving aggressively. Peptron has completed patent applications in more than 20 countries for PT403, a once-monthly obesity drug built on its SmartDepot sustained-release platform, and is targeting regulatory approval by 2030. Peptron is also conducting joint research with Eli Lilly on the dual-agonist PT404, expanding its prospects for global technology licensing deals.

Dongguk Pharmaceutical is pursuing differentiation through its in-house microsphere-based DDS platform, DK-LADS, targeting formulations that could last not just one month but up to three months. The company is currently conducting preclinical research with a goal of entering Phase 1 trials in 2027, evaluating both semaglutide and tirzepatide to diversify its pipeline. JW Pharmaceutical is running a niche strategy at the other end of the spectrum, having entered a Phase 2 trial with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for GZR18 — a biweekly formulation in-licensed from China's Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals.

Once-monthly dosing technology — cutting the number of annual injections from as many as 52 to just 12 — is a powerful tool capable of upending market dynamics and unlocking demand worth trillions of won. Even the global pharmaceutical giants holding the original patents, including Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, are under pressure to secure long-acting technology to defend their market positions and lock in next-generation lineups.

That market context also explains Daewoong's decision to keep the financial terms of its overseas licensing deal entirely confidential and to defer public disclosure until the patent expiration date of 2044 — a deliberate security strategy.

"Even if the global big pharma companies have locked up the active ingredients themselves, Korean firms are proving world-class competitiveness in the processing technology that gives those ingredients a long-acting form," an industry official said. "The precision formulation technology of K-pharma and biotech will be the key to reshaping the global obesity market."


silverpaper@heraldcorp.com