Indian pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy's is preparing to launch a diabetes drug in March

Indian pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy's Laboratories will begin selling its generic semaglutide. Patients with diabetes or those wishing to lose weight can use the medicine. The product will appear on pharmacy shelves in March under the Obeda brand.

Semaglutide's patent protection in India expires in March 2026, xrust writes. This has sparked a rush among Indian drug makers to develop cheaper analogues. This compound is the active ingredient in a drug from the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. This refers to the blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight loss drug Vegovi.

According to government documents, Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's has applied to trademark Obeda and its logo.

India, the world's most populous country, has the second highest number of adults with diabetes after China, according to the International Diabetes Federation. A study published in The Lancet found that by 2050, there could be more than 440 million overweight or obese people in the South Asian country.

Dr Reddy's plans to sell about 12 million semaglutide injectable pens in the first year and intends to price it competitively, potentially up to 60% lower than the branded product, Dr Reddy's co-chairman and managing director told Reuters last week G.V. Prasad.

The Company has received regulatory approval to manufacture and sell a generic version of Ozempic and is awaiting approval to launch a generic version of Vegovi. Although Ozempic is approved for the treatment of diabetes, it is widely used off-label for weight loss. Novo Nordisk and its US rival Eli Lilly launched diabetes and weight-loss drugs in India last year, with Mounjaro becoming the country's top-selling drug by value.

Xrust Indian pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy's is preparing to release a diabetes drug in March