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.
Samsung Biologics announced Sunday-Monday July 19-20, 2026 an all-cash public tender offer to acquire Switzerland's PolyPeptide Group for CHF 1.46 billion ($1.8 billion) at CHF 44.31 per share, a 40% premium to the undisturbed share price of CHF 31.65. The transaction represents the largest biopharmaceutical M&A in South Korean history. Strategic rationale: PolyPeptide is a global peptide contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with accelerating revenue growth driven by rising client demand for peptide-based GLP-1 therapies for obesity and diabetes. The acquisition expands Samsung Biologics' capabilities beyond monoclonal antibody manufacturing (its historical strength) into peptide therapeutics and adds PolyPeptide's global network spanning Sweden, Belgium, France, the United States, and India, encompassing R&D, development, and commercial manufacturing capabilities. PolyPeptide's Board of Directors unanimously recommends the offer. The largest shareholder has given an irrevocable tender undertaking representing approximately 55.65% of outstanding shares. Samsung Biologics expects to complete the deal by end of 2026. The deal extends the July 2026 peptide-manufacturing consolidation wave alongside Novartis's $1.5 billion Myricx Bio acquisition (ADC payloads, July 6) and Lonza's Nona Biosciences TfR1 blood-brain-barrier deal (July 2).