Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddy’s, Zydus, Glenmark roll out generic Semaglutide

Sun Pharmaceutical, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Zydus Life Sciences, and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals rolled out generic versions of Semaglutide on March 21, following the expiration of the patent on the active ingredient in Danish major Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic, in India.

They joined Natco Pharma and one of its marketing partners, Eris Lifesciences, which on March 20 announced that their product would be available on the first day of the patent expiry. The generic drugmakers, with many more expected to make announcements, are eyeing a share of the market for Semaglutide in India, which is estimated to be $1 billion over the next couple of years.

Driving the confidence of the companies are studies that estimate the number of people in India with diabetes to be more than 100 million, along with an additional 136 million who are pre-diabetic.

Pricing at a fraction of the innovator’s product is the key element for the companies as they roll out generic Semaglutide, which belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonists class of medication, to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, depending on the approvals they have got from India’s drug regulator.

A leadership team from Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories that spoke on the launch of the company’s Semaglutide injection, Obeda, for Type 2 diabetes stated that the product is available in 2 mg and 4 mg strengths and comes in a pre-filled, disposable format for subcutaneous, once-a-week administration with a user-friendly pen device. Each pen in both strengths will deliver a minimum of four weekly doses. The cost to the patient will be ₹4,200 per month for both strengths.

CEO of Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) M.V. Ramana, to a query, said Dr. Reddy’s pricing is based on a study. The company is hopeful of receiving Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for use of the product for weight management within the next few months.

API development and manufacturing as well as formulation development, were conducted in‑house for Obeda, the senior executives said, adding the company is also eyeing markets abroad, such as Canada, Brazil and Russia for the product as they open up.

Announcing the launch of its semaglutide injection under the brand names Noveltreat and Sematrinity in India, in different strengths, Sun Pharmaceutical said that the product is priced significantly lower than the innovator brand. The weekly therapy costs, from initiation to the highest dose, range from approximately ₹900 to ₹2,000 for Noveltreat, which is indicated for chronic weight management, and from ₹750 to ₹1,300 for Sematrinity, which is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Zydus Life Sciences has launched semaglutide injection under the brand names Semaglyn, Mashema, and Alterme, following DCGI approval for the manufacturing and marketing of the product for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The company stated that the injection will be available in a 15 mg/3 ml cartridge, and the average monthly cost of treatment will be around ₹2,200.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals announced that it is launching Glipiq (semaglutide) for diabetes, after approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). The expected weekly cost of treatment with the vials ranges from ₹325 to ₹440, the company said.