Nature highlights Hanmi, SK Biopharm’s innovation

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery analyzes 15 years of emerging-market biopharma companies

Yuhan, Daewoong, Samsung Biologics, and GC recognized as emerging innovators…reflecting K-Bio’s structual reform toward innovation-driven drug development

The global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is increasingly recognizing the growing presence of K-Bios. A leading international journal in drug discovery has identified Hanmi Pharmaceutical and SK Biopharmaceuticals as companies leading the development of innovative medicines among biopharmaceutical firms in Asia and other emerging markets, highlighting Korea's transition from a generic-focused industry to one driven by research and development (R&D)-based innovation-driven new drug porfolio.

According to the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization's Bioeconomy Research Center on July 2, ‘Nature Reviews Drug Discovery’ recently published an analysis examining changes in R&D productivity among biopharmaceutical companies across Asia and emerging markets. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery is one of the most prestigious publications in drug discovery and development. It had a 2024 Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 101.8, placing it among the world's highest-impact scientific journals.

The researchers evaluated 45 biopharmaceutical companies with annual sales exceeding USD 500 million over the 2010–2025 period. The analysis assessed R&D investment, clinical pipeline composition, and revenue trends to determine the extent to which each company had transitioned from a generic-based business model to an innovation-driven new drug portfolio. Companies were subsequently classified as innovation leaders, emerging innovators, or generic-focused companies based on their R&D intensity and proportion of innovative assets.

Among Korean companies, Hanmi Pharmaceutical and SK Biopharmaceuticals were classified as innovation leaders, the highest category in the study. They joined 9 Chinese companies in the same group, including BeOne, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, Henlius, Innovent Biologics, Junshi Biosciences, and Sino Biopharmaceutical. The findings place the two Korean companies alongside some of China's leading global pharmaceutical firms.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical was recognized for maintaining a consistently high level of R&D investment. According to the study, the company invested approximately 17% of its revenue in R&D over the past decade, up from roughly 10% during the 2010–2015 period. The journal also highlighted Hanmi's strategy of focusing on innovative drug development in metabolic and rare diseases.

Hanmi is currently expanding its pipeline, particularly in obesity and metabolic disorders. Its long-acting GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) obesity candidate efpeglenatide, developed using the company's proprietary ‘LAPSCOVERY’ platform, has advanced into the regulatory submission stage based on positive domestic Phase III results. The company is also broadening its metabolic disease portfolio by developing a GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist and next-generation obesity therapies designed to preserve and increase muscle mass. In addition, Hanmi continues to develop novel therapies for rare diseases and oncology using its proprietary technology platforms.

Analysis of R&D Intensity and Portfolio Innovation Index Across 45 Biopharmaceutical Companies in Asia and Emerging Markets (2010–2025), Published in the International Journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (Source: Bioeconomy Research Center, KoreaBIO)

The published analysis also recognized SK Biopharmaceuticals as an innovation leader, reflecting its successful development and global commercialization of proprietary medicines. The company has established a fully integrated business model spanning drug discovery through commercialization, with a focus on central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

SK Biopharmaceuticals is expanding into next-generation therapeutic modalities, building on the global development and commercialization experience gained through its proprietary epilepsy drug ‘cenobamate.’ In addition to its CNS franchise, the company has identified radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) and targeted protein degradation (TPD) as future growth engines. It is currently developing multiple radiopharmaceutical candidates based on actinium-225 and lutetium-177, while also advancing oncology programs utilizing TPD technology.

유한양행, 대웅제약, 삼성바이오로직스, GC는 신흥 혁신기업에 이름을 올렸다. 연구진은 이들 기업을 혁신 선도기업 단계로 분류하지는 않았으나 제네릭 중심 기업과 달리 R&D 투자와 혁신 포트폴리오 전환을 이어가는 기업군으로 평가했다.

Yuhan Corporation, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Samsung Biologics, and GC were classified as emerging innovators. Although they were not placed in the innovation leader category, the researchers recognized these companies as actively increasing R&D investment and shifting toward innovation-based portfolios rather than relying primarily on generic medicines.

In particular, Yuhan Corporation’s R&D spending rose from less than 5% of revenue during 2010–2015 to approximately 12% during 2020–2025. Its growing investment in oncology research and its strategic transition from a traditional generic-based business to an innovation-focused pharmaceutical company were cited as key factors behind its classification.

The findings carry significance as it signifies that the structural transformation of Korea's pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is now gaining recognition on the global stage. Korean companies have steadily demonstrated their innovative capabilities through technology licensing, global clinical development, and overseas approvals of proprietary medicines. The findings published this time are noteworthy because it attributes these achievements not to isolated successes by individual companies, but to sustained increases in R&D investment and a long-term shift toward innovation-driven portfolios.

The researchers concluded, "Several leading biopharmaceutical innovators in Asia, particularly those in China and South Korea, have chosen the path of innovation and are well positioned to challenge established global competitors in Europe and the United States over the coming years."