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Zydus Lifesciences Limited, an innovation-led life-sciences company with an international presence, plans to launch semaglutide injection under the brand names – Semaglyn, Mashema and Alterme, upon Semaglutide patent expiry in India. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had earlier provided its approval for manufacturing and marketing semaglutide injection for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity.
A critical differentiator of Zydus’ Semaglutide offering will be its novel, indigenously developed drug-delivery system. Unlike existing treatments that require patients to purchase multiple single-dose pens as they titrate their dosage, Zydus plans to introduce an innovative, adjustable single-pen device. This technology allows patients to seamlessly select and administer varying dose strengths from a single unit, significantly enhancing patient adherence, maximizing convenience and drastically reducing the overall cost of therapy.
Speaking on the development managing director, Zydus Lifesciences Limited, Dr. Sharvil Patel said, “Zydus’ innovative offering of semaglutide injection is a testament to our enduring commitment to patient-centric innovation. We are not just planning to bring a critical therapy to market, we are aiming to elevate the standard of care. By introducing a first-of-its-kind drug delivery mechanism in India, we plan to simplify the treatment. This leap in convenience will drive better long-term adherence and, ultimately, significantly improved clinical outcomes for patients.”
Zydus has exclusive rights to this novel device, which will be able to deliver all strengths approved for type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. The pen will also be reusable bringing in greater affordability for the patients.
Diabetes and obesity are among the most significant health concerns in India, and GLP-1 based therapies have the potential to contribute effectively to managing this increasing public health burden. As per International Diabetes Federation, there are 8.9 crore adults with diabetes in India i.e. 10.5% of total adult population. India is witnessing a rapid rise in obesity across all age groups. In adults, the prevalence increased by 91 per cent among women (from 12.6 per cent to 24.0 per cent) and 146 per cent among men (from 9.3 per cent to 22.9 per cent), indicating a nationwide health crisis.
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