Peptide News Digest

Korea Approves Hanmi's Efpeglenatide, MOTS-c in Diabetic Eye Disease, a Cyclic Peptide for Acne

Korea approves Hanmi's efpeglenatide, its first homegrown GLP-1 obesity drug, MOTS-c protects retinal vessels in mice, and a cyclic peptide targets acne.

3 stories · Covering regulatory, research

Editor's Note

The weekend's main news came from Seoul, where regulators approved Hanmi's efpeglenatide, a drug Sanofi once licensed for diabetes and handed back in 2020, as Korea's first domestically developed GLP-1 obesity treatment. Its interim trial results show about 9% to 10% weight loss at 40 weeks, below what Wegovy and Zepbound reached in their own longer trials, and Hanmi is betting on gentler side effects and local pricing rather than headline efficacy. The two research papers both involve peptides that wellness sellers already promote. MOTS-c, one of the peptides the FDA's advisers voted on in July, protected retinal blood vessels in diabetic mice, and a company-backed team reported a cyclic peptide that hit several causes of acne in cell tests. Neither result has been tested in people.

Regulatory

South Korea Approves Hanmi's Efpeglenatide, Its First Homegrown GLP-1 Obesity Drug, After a 448-Person Korean Phase 3 Trial

South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved Hanmi Pharmaceutical's efpeglenatide, sold as Eppe, on October 7, 2026 as a once-weekly injection for chronic weight management in adults without diabetes who have a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a weight-related condition; it is Korea's 45th domestically developed new drug. Korean press reported average weight loss at week 40 of the 448-person Korean Phase 3 trial of 9.02% versus 0.89% on placebo (JoongAng Daily) or 9.75% (Korea Biomedical Review), with nausea in 16.6% and vomiting in 11.6%. Hanmi licensed the drug to Sanofi for diabetes in 2015, regained the rights in 2020, and has not announced a price.

#efpeglenatide #hanmi #south-korea #glp-1 #obesity
Research

Mitochondrial Peptide MOTS-c Protects Retinal Blood Vessels in Diabetic Mice Through the Enzyme PLA2G6

Researchers at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and Jiangnan University-affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital reported in Cell Death Discovery on October 10, 2026 that high blood sugar lowered levels of MOTS-c, a small peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, in retinal blood vessels. MOTS-c treatment protected the vessel barrier and mitochondrial function in human retinal endothelial cells exposed to high glucose and in diabetic mice, and blocking the enzyme PLA2G6 erased that protection. MOTS-c is one of the peptides the FDA's compounding advisers voted to recommend in July 2026, but this work is in cells and mice.

#mots-c #diabetic-retinopathy #mitochondrial-peptides #preclinical
Research

Company-Backed Study Reports a Cyclic Antimicrobial Peptide That Kills Acne Bacteria and Cuts Oil Production in Lab Tests

Researchers from Dermatide Biotec in Singapore, DFSIN Biotechnology in Shanghai, and Jiangnan University reported in Scientific Reports on October 11, 2026 a cyclic antimicrobial peptide, AMCP, that killed the acne bacterium C. acnes at 0.5 µg/mL and S. aureus at 1.0 µg/mL, reduced hormone- and fatty-acid-driven oil production in skin oil-gland cells by 40.0% and 29.1%, and lowered several inflammatory signals in skin cells. A delivery mix of 2% propylene glycol and 0.1% sodium surfactin raised the peptide's passage through skin fivefold in lab tests. All results come from cells and skin-permeation models, not people.

#acne #antimicrobial-peptides #cyclic-peptide #skincare-peptides

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