Hanmi, Oscotec Land Trillion-Won Deals…HLB Rallies as Chairman Leads IR Push [K-Bio Pulse]

This article was released as Pharm Edaily Premium Content on June 2, 2026, at 8:00 AM.

[Hong Ju-yeon, Edaily Reporter] South Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector showed overall strength on June 1, supported by consecutive large-scale technology licensing agreements by Hanmi Pharm and Oscotec. As the two companies signed technology export contracts worth won 1.9 trillion and won 1 trillion respectively buying interest flowed into the biotech sector.

Hanmi Stock Chart (Source: KG Zeroin MP Doctor)

Hanmi Signs won 1.9 Trillion Big Deal With Lilly… Hits Upper Limit During Trading

According to KG Zeroin MP Doctor (formerly Market Point), Hanmi closed the regular session at won 539,000, up 9.78% (won 48,000) from the previous trading day. During trading, it at one point reached its daily upper limit of won 638,000.

The gain came after the company signed a license agreement with global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of sonfeglutide (HM15912), a glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) drug candidate. The total contract size is up to $1.26 billion (approximately won 1.8973 trillion), and the company will immediately receive an upfront payment of $75 million (approximately won 112.9 billion).

Sonfeglutide is a GLP-2 analog drug candidate that applies Hanmi Pharm’s long-acting biologics platform technology, LAPSCOVERY. Based on the GLP-2 hormone that promotes intestinal mucosal growth and functional recovery, it is being developed as a treatment for rare gastrointestinal diseases such as short bowel syndrome (SBS) and was designed as a once-monthly formulation.

Under the agreement Hanmi transfers worldwide development, manufacturing and commercialization rights excluding Korea to Lilly. The remaining $1.185 billion will be received as milestone payments based on clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization achievements.

Choi In young Executive Director of Hanmi said "We first met Eli Lilly at the 2025 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and have been in discussions for more than a year." He added, "Studies exploring HM71224 (LY3337641) in multiple indications beyond short bowel syndrome have been presented, but due to patent-related issues, we cannot disclose specific details for the time being."

“It is very meaningful that Lilly, an innovative company receiving attention worldwide, highly evaluated the development potential of sonfeglutide.”

said Lim Joo hyun vice chair of Hanmi Group “We will continue pursuing our mission through innovative drug development.”

Oscotec Stock Chart (Source: KG Zeroin MP Doctor)

Oscotec Exports Technology Worth won 1 Trillion to Agios… Surges in After-Hours Trading

Oscotec’s technology export disclosure was released after the market closed, and the stock at one point rose 25.57% (won 10,750) from the previous trading day to won 52,800 in after-hours trading.

The move came after the company licensed out sevodoplenib an autoimmune disease treatment candidate to Agios Pharmaceuticals, a U.S. pharmaceutical company specializing in rare disease treatments. The total contract size is up to $665 million (won 1.0028 trillion) and the company will receive a non refundable upfront payment of $25 million (won 37.7 billion).

Sevodoplenib is an oral small molecule drug candidate jointly developed by Oscotec and Genosco. It works by selectively inhibiting spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) a signaling protein in immune cells. It has completed global Phase 2 clinical trials in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 2024, it also received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ITP.

“We judged that Agios, which has expertise and commercialization capabilities in the field of rare blood disorders is the partner that can maximize the value of sevodoplenib.”

said Oscotec Chief Executive Officer Yoon Tae young “Based on Agios’ accumulated development experience in rare immune diseases we expect sevodoplenib to grow into a global new drug.”

HLB Stock Chart (Source: KG Zeroin MP Doctor)

HLB Jumps 9.3% as Chairman Leads IR Roadshow

HLB closed the regular session at won 55,500, up 9.25% (won 4,700) from the previous trading day.

As HLB Group Chairman Jin Yang gon personally visited major domestic securities firms and conducted a series of investor relations (IR) meetings buying interest appears to have been stimulated by the fact that FDA review decisions on the company’s drug candidates are scheduled one after another in the second half of this year. According to an HLB official, Chairman Jin plans to personally conduct a total of seven to eight IR sessions this month.

In July, an FDA approval decision is expected for the first-line liver cancer indication of the combination therapy of rivoceranib and camrelizumab. In September, a decision is expected on the approval of lirafugratinib as a second-line treatment for bile duct cancer.

Results from the Phase 3 clinical trial of RGN-259, a treatment candidate for neurotrophic keratitis (NK) being developed by HLB Therapeutics, are also scheduled to be announced in the second half of the year.

D&D Pharmatech Stock Chart (Source: KG Zeroin MP Doctor)

D&D Pharmatech Falls 12.2% on Profit-Taking After Five Consecutive Trading Sessions of Gains

D&D Pharmatech closed the regular session at won 83,100, down 12.16% (won 11,500) from the previous trading day.

The decline is interpreted as the result of profit-taking following five consecutive trading sessions of gains since May 21. Earlier, on May 27, D&D Pharmatech disclosed that 48-week biopsy results from the Phase 2 trial of DD01, a drug candidate for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), demonstrated statistically significant results compared with the placebo group across all histological indicators, including key regulatory evaluation endpoints.

The company said it would actively accelerate global partnering discussions based on the clinical results and lead them toward a large-scale technology licensing achievement.