Roche's Genentech unit made two significant moves this week to bolster its position in metabolic disease treatment, striking an exclusive licensing agreement with Hanmi Pharm for a novel obesity therapy while also announcing a $750 million manufacturing expansion to support its growing portfolio of injectable medicines.
Genentech Licenses Novel UCN2 Analog From Hanmi Pharm
Hanmi Pharm announced on August 24, 2026, that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Hanmi's novel metabolic treatment candidate, HM17321 (UCN2), for obesity and associated conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases worldwide. The agreement excludes South Korea.
HM17321 is a proprietary UCN2 (urocortin-2) analog with a non-incretin mechanism of action, representing a potential first-in-class treatment designed to simultaneously promote weight loss and preserve lean body mass. This contrasts with existing GLP-1 based incretin therapies, which have demonstrated meaningful weight reduction but are associated with a reduction in lean body mass. In preclinical studies, HM17321 has shown both quantitative and qualitative improvements in weight reduction as a monotherapy and in combination with GLP-1-based therapies. As a peptide-based therapeutic, it may also have future potential for use in fixed-dose combination products or combination regimens with incretin-based treatments.
Hanmi received IND clearance from the U.S. FDA in November 2025 to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of HM17321, which is currently evaluating the drug's safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers and individuals with obesity. Hanmi will complete the Phase 1 trial, after which Genentech will take over development starting with Phase 2 clinical trials.
"The paradigm of obesity treatment is evolving beyond simple weight reduction toward improving body composition and restoring metabolic health," said In-Young Choi, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of R&D Division of Hanmi Pharm. "We are very pleased that the differentiated scientific mechanism and development potential of HM17321 have been recognized by the global market."
Boris L. Zaitra, head of Roche Corporate Business Development, said, "With our growing cardiometabolic pipeline and strong diagnostic expertise, Roche is advancing a portfolio designed to meet the diverse needs of people living with obesity and related health conditions. By licensing this next-generation investigational therapy with first-in-class potential from Hanmi, Roche and Genentech will pursue a differentiated approach to selectively reduce fat mass while improving both muscle mass and muscle function."
Under the terms of the agreement, Hanmi will receive an upfront payment of USD 190 million from Genentech. Including development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, the total deal value could reach approximately USD 2.3 billion, with Hanmi also eligible for tiered royalties on future product sales following commercialization.
Genentech Invests $750 Million in Oregon Device-Filling Facility
Days earlier, on August 20, 2026, Genentech announced plans to invest approximately $750 million in a new device fill-finish manufacturing facility at its 75-acre campus in Hillsboro, Oregon. The investment will bring new end-to-end device filling capabilities to the site, doubling its size and expanding capacity to support the future pipeline of innovative medicines across Roche and Genentech.
The project is expected to create 250 high-wage manufacturing jobs and approximately 200 construction jobs in Oregon during site development, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2031. The new facility will support manufacturing of advanced drug delivery devices such as pre-filled syringes and autoinjectors, which play an increasingly important role in delivering medicines to patients outside of a hospital setting. Designed for flexibility, the site will be capable of both high- and low-volume device filling across a broad range of Roche and Genentech's portfolio.
The Hillsboro investment follows the recent topping out of Genentech's new manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina — a facility strategically designed to support global production of the company's future portfolio of metabolic medicines, including next-generation obesity treatments.
Roche and Genentech's current U.S. footprint includes 13 manufacturing sites, 15 research and development sites, and approximately 25,000 employees across 24 locations in eight states.
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