Asian GLP-1 and Obesity Drugs
As of November 1, 2026, Drugnews tracks 26 Asian programs in GLP-1 and obesity drugs across China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan; the most advanced is orforglipron from Chugai Pharmaceutical (Approved).
Assets (26)
| Company | Country | Code | Asset | Mechanism / format | Highest stage | Indication | Partner and terms (upfront / total) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Benemae | China | beinaglutide | beinaglutide | GLP-1R peptide | Approved | Type 2 diabetes; weight management | — | benemae.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| Hanmi Pharmaceutical | South Korea | efpeglenatide | efpeglenatide | GLP-1R long-acting peptide-Fc conjugate | Approved | Obesity (South Korea) | — | www.hanmi.co.kr clinicaltrials.gov |
| South Korea | efinopegdutide | efinopegdutide | GLP-1R × GCGR dual agonist peptide-Fc conjugate | Phase 2 | Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis; NAFLD; Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease; Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis | Merck/MSD (ex-Korea) | clinicaltrials.gov | |
| South Korea | HM15211 | efocipegtrutide | GLP-1R × GIPR × GCGR triple agonist peptide-Fc conjugate | Phase 2 | NASH - Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis | — | clinicaltrials.gov | |
| South Korea | HM15275 | — | GLP-1R × GIPR × GCGR triple agonist peptide | Phase 2 | Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; T2DM | — | hanmipharm.com clinicaltrials.gov | |
| Hansoh Pharma | China | loxenatide | polyethylene glycol loxenatide | GLP-1R PEGylated peptide | Approved | Type 2 diabetes | — | www.hspharm.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| China | HS-20094 | olatorepatide | GLP-1R × GIPR dual agonist peptide | NDA filed | Chronic weight management in obese/overweight adults | Regeneron USD 80m / USD 2010m | tc.hspharm.com clinicaltrials.gov www.hspharm.com | |
| Chugai Pharmaceutical | Japan | orforglipron | orforglipron | GLP-1R oral small molecule | Approved | Obesity/overweight | Eli Lilly (global) | investor.lilly.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| PegBio | China | PB-119 | visepegenatide | GLP-1R PEGylated peptide | Approved | Type 2 diabetes | — | www.hkexnews.hk clinicaltrials.gov |
| Sciwind Biosciences | China | XW003 | ecnoglutide | GLP-1R peptide | Approved | Chronic weight management in obesity/overweight; 2026-03-06 approval source | HK inno.N — / — | www.sciwindbio.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| China | XW014 | — | GLP-1R oral small molecule | Phase 1 | Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | — | sciwindbio.com clinicaltrials.gov | |
| BrightGene Bio-Medical | China | BGM0504 | — | GLP-1R × GIPR dual agonist peptide | NDA filed | Chronic weight management in obese/overweight adults | — | www.bright-gene.com clinicaltrials.gov static.cninfo.com.cn |
| Hengrui Pharmaceuticals | China | HRS-7535 | safiglipron (proposed INN) | GLP-1R oral small molecule | NDA filed | Type 2 diabetes; weight management | Hercules CM NewCo / Kailera (portfolio, unallocated) USD 100m / USD 6035m | www.kailera.com clinicaltrials.gov static.cninfo.com.cn |
| China | HRS9531 | ribupatide | GLP-1R × GIPR dual agonist peptide | NDA filed | Obesity/overweight; type 2 diabetes | Hercules CM NewCo / Kailera (portfolio, unallocated) USD 100m / USD 6035m | www.kailera.com clinicaltrials.gov static.cninfo.com.cn | |
| China | HRS4729 | — | GLP-1R × GIPR × GCGR triple agonist peptide | Phase 2 | Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) | Kailera (ex-Greater China) | www.kailera.com clinicaltrials.gov | |
| CSPC Baike | China | TG103 | 依达格鲁肽α (English INN 查無) | GLP-1R GLP-1-Fc fusion | NDA filed | Weight management; type 2 diabetes | — | clinicaltrials.gov www.e-cspc.com |
| Ascletis | China | ASC30 | — | GLP-1R small molecule (oral and injectable formulations) | Phase 3 | Obesity; Overweight; Chronic Weight Management | — | www1.hkexnews.hk clinicaltrials.gov |
| Zhejiang Doer Biologics | China | DR10624 | — | GLP-1R × GCGR × FGF21R triple agonist fusion protein | Phase 3 | Severe hypertriglyceridemia | — | en.huadongmedicine.com clinicaltrials.gov static.cninfo.com.cn |
| Eccogene | China | ECC5004 | elecoglipron | GLP-1R oral small molecule | Phase 3 | Obesity; Overweight | AstraZeneca USD 185m / USD 2010m | www.prnewswire.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals | China | GZR18 | bofanglutide | GLP-1R peptide | Phase 3 | Overweight or Obesity | Productos Cientificos / CARNOT Laboratorios — / — Lupin — / — JW Pharmaceutical USD 5m / USD 81.1m Menarini EUR 62m / EUR 726m | static.cninfo.com.cn clinicaltrials.gov |
| Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical | China | HDM1002 | conveglipron | GLP-1R oral small molecule | Phase 3 | Type 2 Diabetes | — | en.huadongmedicine.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| China | HDM1005 | poterepatide | GLP-1R × GIPR dual agonist peptide | Phase 3 | Obesity & Overweight | — | disc.static.szse.cn clinicaltrials.gov | |
| MindRank | China | MDR-001 | — | GLP-1R oral small molecule | Phase 3 | Obesity/overweight | — | www.mindrank.ai clinicaltrials.gov |
| The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) | China | UBT251 | — | GLP-1R × GIPR × GCGR triple agonist peptide | Phase 3 | Type 2 Diabetes | Novo Nordisk USD 200m / USD 2000m | www.novonordisk.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| D&D Pharmatech | South Korea | DD01 | zabopegdutide | GLP-1R × GCGR dual agonist peptide | Phase 2 | NAFLD; NASH | Salubris (China) | ddpharmatech.com clinicaltrials.gov |
| Dong-A ST | South Korea | DA-1726 | — | GLP-1R × GCGR dual agonist peptide | Phase 1 | Obesity | NeuroBo (global ex-selected Asia territories) | www.donga.co.kr clinicaltrials.gov |
Asian outbound licensing (15)
| Date | Licensor | Country | Partner | Asset / portfolio | Event type | Territory | Upfront | Potential total | Terms | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04 | D&D Pharmatech | South Korea | Metsera | DD02S / MET-002o; DD03 / MET-GGGo | PORTFOLIO_LICENSE | Global | — | USD 422.5m | Company timeline provides April 2023 and USD422.5m package total; no numerical upfront split. Later expansion is incremental, not a second copy of cumulative ceiling. | ddpharmatech.com |
| 2023-11-09 | Eccogene | China | AstraZeneca | ECC5004 / AZD5004 / elecoglipron | LICENSE | Ex-China exclusive; China co-development/co-commercialization | USD 185m | USD 2010m | Original company release says USD1.825bn milestones; do not round to USD1.8bn when calculating total. | www.prnewswire.com |
| 2024 | Sciwind Biosciences | China | Verdiva Bio | XW004/VRB-101; oral amylin VRB-103; injectable amylin VRB-102 | PORTFOLIO_LICENSE | Ex-Greater China/South Korea | — | — | Licence acquired in 2024 per launch release, publicly announced Jan 2025. Exact signing month/day undisclosed. USD411m Series A financing is NOT upfront payment. | verdivabio.com |
| 2024-03 | D&D Pharmatech | South Korea | Metsera | DD14; MET-AMYo; DD15; expansion of prior oral portfolio | PORTFOLIO_EXPANSION | Global | — | USD 381.05m | Incremental ceiling calculated as cumulative USD803.55m minus prior USD422.5m. Includes multiple new agreements/amendments in March; not a single-asset amount and not USD803.55m additional. | ddpharmatech.com |
| 2024-05-02 | Sciwind Biosciences | China | HK inno.N | Ecnoglutide / XW003 | LICENSE | South Korea | — | — | May 2 first announcement; May 7 joint release same agreement. Upfront and milestones payable, amounts undisclosed. | www.inno-n.com |
| 2024-05-15 | Hengrui Pharmaceuticals | China | Hercules CM NewCo / Kailera | HRS9531; HRS-7535; HRS-4729 | PORTFOLIO_LICENSE | Ex-mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan | USD 100m | USD 6035m | USD100m signing cash + USD10m tech transfer; future clinical/regulatory USD200m plus sales USD5725m. Total is component sum, excludes equity. 19.9% NewCo ownership not treated as cash. | www.sec.gov |
| 2024-12-18 | Hansoh Pharma | China | Merck/MSD | HS-10535 / MK-4082 | LICENSE | Global; conditional China commercialization option for Hansoh | USD 112m | USD 2012m | Development USD115m + regulatory USD315m + sales USD1470m = USD1900m milestones per 2024 10-K. Phase 1 threshold applies to assets table, not transaction table. | www.merck.com |
| 2025-03-24 | United Bio-Technology / United Laboratories | China | Novo Nordisk | UBT251 | LICENSE | Ex-mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan | USD 200m | USD 2000m | Royalties excluded. | www.novonordisk.com |
| 2025-06-02 | Hansoh Pharma | China | Regeneron | HS-20094 | LICENSE | Ex-mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau | USD 80m | USD 2010m | Taiwan is not listed in the excluded territory wording; do not expand retained territory to Greater China. | newsroom.regeneron.com |
| 2025-11-25 | Gan & Lee | China | Productos Cientificos / CARNOT Laboratorios | Bofanglutide / GZR18 | LICENSE | Latin America incl. Mexico/Brazil/Colombia | — | — | Company release dated Nov 26 with Nov 25 dateline; no numeric contract economics. | www.ganlee.com |
| 2025-12-29 | Gan & Lee | China | Lupin | Bofanglutide / GZR18 | LICENSE | India | — | — | Licence/supply/distribution; no disclosed numeric economics. | www.lupin.com |
| 2026-01-30 | CSPC Pharmaceutical | China | AstraZeneca | SYH2082 + three preclinical programs; four research programs; LiquidGel platform | PORTFOLIO_LICENSE | Ex-mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan; eight programs | USD 1200m | USD 18500m | USD3.5bn development/regulatory + USD13.8bn sales milestones. Broad metabolic portfolio; not a single-asset upfront. | www1.hkexnews.hk |
| 2026-04-08 | Gan & Lee | China | JW Pharmaceutical | Bofanglutide / GZR18 | LICENSE | South Korea | USD 5m | USD 81.1m | Issuer disclosure mirror; total USD81.1m includes upfront USD5m; milestones USD76.1m computed residual. Manufacturer release separately confirms same partnership. | cdn.financialreports.eu |
| 2026-09-03 | Gan & Lee | China | Menarini | Bofanglutide / GZR18 | LICENSE | 39 European countries/territories | EUR 62m | EUR 726m | EUR62m upfront; EUR664m milestones; EUR726m total confirmed by original Menarini release. No self-conversion to USD. Date follows original Menarini announcement; no inference of an earlier signing day. | www.menarini.com |
| 2026-09-29 | Hengrui Pharmaceuticals | China | Novo Nordisk | HRS-1596 | LICENSE | Ex-mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan | USD 300m | USD 2600m | Milestones USD2300m = USD2600m inclusive total minus USD300m upfront; early asset not added to clinical asset count. | www.novonordisk.com |
FAQ
How many Asian GLP-1 and obesity programs are tracked?
The November 1, 2026 table contains 26 programs in 18 originator groups: 19 from China, 6 from South Korea and 1 from Japan. No Taiwan-originated program is included in this package.
Which program is the most advanced?
Orforglipron from Chugai Pharmaceutical is approved. Approved is the highest stage in this table, shared by 6 programs. Approval indications and territories differ by asset.
Are all programs GLP-1-only drugs?
The table includes GLP-1 receptor agonists, dual agonists and multi-receptor programs. Both peptide and small-molecule formats are included; the mechanism and format are shown for each asset.
Does the stage refer specifically to obesity approval?
The stage is the highest reached across the sourced indications. The indication column distinguishes diabetes, obesity and other uses; an approved diabetes asset is not automatically approved for obesity.
How many Asian outbound licensing events are listed?
The table contains 15 outbound licensing events and portfolio expansions. Upfronts and potential totals are separate, currencies are not converted, and equity is excluded from upfront values.