Hanmi Pharmaceutical has launched patient recruitment in the United States for a phase 2b clinical trial of HM15211, an investigational fatty liver med, going full speed with commercial development of its nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) pipeline.

Sources said on Wednesday the latest trial aims to enroll 112 patients to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LAPS Triple Agonist designed to treat patients with hepatic damage due to fat that occupies more than 5 percent of the liver’s weight despite no or little alcohol consumption.

Earlier, the Korean pharmaceutical company drew the industry’s attention for a $870 million exclusive license deal with MSD over commercial development of HM12525A (efinopegdutide), Hanmi’s another investigational NASH drug.

There is no approved therapy for NASH, implying a high unmet need in the world.

HM15211 is being developed with Hanmi’s proprietary LAPSCOVERY (Long Acting Protein/Peptide Discovery) technology.

Hanmi has three candidates in its NASH pipeline, which are the triple agonist, efinopegdutide, and LAPS Glucagon Combo (HM14320), which is being tested in a preclinical model in Korea.

By Pulse

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