An over-reliance on out-licensing as a business model may restrict the healthy growth of South Korean biopharma firms over the longer term, a Citeline executive told a recent symposium in Seoul.

As Korean firms report quarterly earnings, Hanmi is stepping up the development of obesity drugs, Daewoong unveils plans to boost sales of in-house new drugs, GC Biopharma’s immunoglobulin undergoes the US approval process and Ildong has set up a new R&D-focused subsidiary.

An over-reliance on out-licensing as a business model may restrict the healthy growth of South Korean biopharma firms over the longer term, a Citeline executive told a recent symposium in Seoul.

Hanmi aims to commercialize its GLP-1 obesity treatment, the first one from its ambitious HOP project, within three years as it moves to Phase III in Korea.