Hanmi Secures Export Deal with Mexican Partner Sanfer for GLP-1 Obesity Drug and More

Hanmi Signs Exclusive Partnership with New Mexican Partner Laboratorios Sanfer, Covering Efpeglenatide and Diabetes Treatments 

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hanmi is accelerating its global market entry with efpeglenatide, Korea’s first domestically developed GLP-1 class obesity and metabolic disease treatment.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical, the core operating company of Hanmi Science, announced on January 28 that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Mexican pharmaceutical company Laboratorios Sanfer for efpeglenatide, its GLP-1 obesity therapy, as well as the Dapalon Family, Hanmi’s flagship diabetes treatment portfolio (Dapalon Tab. and Dapalon Duo SR Tab.).

Under the agreement, Hanmi will supply efpeglenatide and the Dapalon Family, while Laboratorios Sanfer will be responsible for regulatory approval, marketing, distribution, and sales within Mexico.

Mexico is one of the countries with the highest obesity rates globally, with obesity prevalence reaching 36.86%, while diabetes prevalence stands at 16.4%.^[1] As demand in the market extends beyond weight loss and maintenance therapy to include blood glucose management, the agreement reflects confidence in efpeglenatide’s global scalability and strategic value.

Founded in 1941, Sanfer is Mexico’s largest privately held pharmaceutical company. Leveraging its extensive sales and distribution network across Latin America and its in-house R&D capabilities, Sanfer has established itself as a leading pharmaceutical company in the region. The company operates in more than 20 countries across Latin America as well as in the United States and recently strengthened its position as Mexico’s largest biopharmaceutical company through the acquisition of Probiomed.

The partnership is expected to gradually expand collaboration across efpeglenatide and other metabolic disease treatments, including additional product launches and joint marketing strategies over the mid- to long term.

Ricardo Amtmann, CEO of Sanfer, stated, “As a leading pharmaceutical company in Mexico and Latin America, our vision is to improve patients’ lives through innovative, high-quality products. With healthcare costs accounting for 34.6% of household spending in Mexico, improving accessibility to innovative treatments is critical.^[2] Hanmi’s efpeglenatide and diabetes treatment portfolio meet these needs.” He added, “Through this partnership, we aim to contribute to addressing the rapidly growing challenges of obesity and diabetes in Mexico.”

Jae-hyun Park, CEO of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, said, “This agreement marks an important milestone that demonstrates Hanmi’s formulation capabilities and R&D competitiveness on the global stage. As the Mexican government places greater emphasis on standardizing healthcare services and strengthening the management of chronic diseases, we find it especially meaningful that Hanmi’s independently developed, Korea’s first GLP-1–based obesity and metabolic disease treatment, together with our innovative diabetes treatment portfolio, will be able to contribute to improving the health of the Mexican population.”

Meanwhile, Hanmi completed its regulatory application for efpeglenatide to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on December 17, 2025. In September 2025, the company also submitted an IND for a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating combination therapy with SGLT-2 inhibitors and metformin, which was approved on January 21, 2026. Hanmi is pursuing an expansion of efpeglenatide’s indications from obesity into diabetes, with obesity approval targeted for the second half of 2026 and an additional diabetes indication planned for 2028.

Contact info:

Official Websites: www.hanmipharm.com, www.linkedin.com/company/hanmipharm
innovation@hanmi.co.kr, +82-02-410-0467

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SOURCE Hanmi Pharmaceutical