Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a Korea-based global pharmaceutical company, made an oral presentation on the non-clinical results of once weekly insulin and GLP-1 combination drug ‘LAPSInsulin Combo’ at the 75th American Diabetes Association (ADA) scientific session on June 7 in the Boston Convention Centre, USA.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical presented the possibility of developing a new insulin combination drug that overcomes the weakness of previous insulin treatment and expands daily injection to once weekly administration.

‘LAPSInsulin Combo’ is a new diabetes drug that combines ‘LAPSInsulin 115’, which is being developed as an once-weekly insulin, with ‘efpeglenatide’ (LAPSCA-Exendin4), once- weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist. ‘LAPSInsulin Combo’ applied ‘Lapscovery’, Hanmi pharmaceutical’s innovative technology which enables extended duration of biologics.

The results were presented by co-researcher Dr. Michael E. Trautmann, MD (Profil Institute), and demonstrated the potential therapeutic benefits by combination and the reduced adverse effects such as weight gain risk.

Especially, the results showed that when the mono-treatment is switched into ‘LAPSInsulin Combo’, HbA1C level quickly and strongly dropped without hypoglycemia risk. In addition, ‘LAPSInsulin Combo’ effectively protected from the apoptotic death of pancreatic ß-cell.

“The therapeutic benefits of combining ‘LAPSInsulin115’ and ‘efpeglenatide’ have been confirmed,” said Se-chang Kwon, research managing director of Hanmi R&D research centre.

“LAPSInsulin Combo will go into clinical trial in the second half of this year, and as a first-in-class once weekly insulin combination drug we expect it to suggest a new paradigm of diabetes treatment.”

Meanwhile, on June 6, the result of the non-clinical trial of ‘LAPSInsulin115’ which is currently being conducted in phase I clinical trial in the USA was presented by Dr. Nina Wronkowitz (German Diabetes Centre, Jurgen Eckel's Lab), a joint researcher participating in the research, who presented the once weekly potential of ‘LAPSInsulin115’ and its insulin-receptor-binding properties.