(Bloomberg) – Indian pharmaceutical companies took advantage of the end of the patent for the best-selling weight loss and diabetes drug to launch much cheaper generic versions in a country that has the third largest overweight population in the world.
Natco Pharma plans to produce an injection of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — with one of the lowest entry prices: 1,290 rupees ($14) per month. The company’s pen should hit the market by April, with a monthly cost of around 4,500 rupees, the company said in a statement.
For comparison purposes, Novo’s Wegovy pen costs around 10,480 rupees in India and approximately US$199 in the US under the private payment model. The monthly prices of semaglutide-based products from other companies such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals range from around 1,300 to 8,000 rupees.
Although Canada was the first country to lose patent protection for semaglutide in January, the Canadian health regulator has yet to approve any generics, effectively making India the first major market to see a flood of copycat versions. The ensuing price war will be closely watched as the Danish drugmaker faces patent expiry in key markets such as China, Brazil and Türkiye.
Bloomberg News analyzed corporate communications and earnings call transcripts to identify at least 12 major pharmaceutical companies that plan to sell generic semaglutide soon after patent expiration. But the real dimension of competition must be much greater.
About 42 drugmakers, including smaller companies, are expected to launch products under more than 50 different brand names later this year, according to Sheetal Sapale, a researcher at market data firm Pharmarack.
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‘Case Study’
India is “an important case study for the future” of the loss of exclusivity for this molecule, Jefferies analysts led by James Vane-Tempest wrote in a February 12 report. The brokerage estimates the Indian weight loss drug market at around $500 million, a value that “could rise to $1 billion with the right combination of pricing, adoption and government incentives.”
Demand for these medicines is also high because India’s population of more than 1.4 billion faces a greater burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, largely due to increasingly sedentary urban lifestyles. Diets high in calories, loaded with oil and fat, have resulted in a large portion of the population being overweight, second only to the US and China.
Generic manufacturers are also testing different delivery formats, including syringes, injectors, vials and reusable pens with adjustable dose, company documents show.
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The idea is to offer more flexibility to patients, reduce the financial burden of treatment and facilitate the adoption of these obesity therapies. Today, Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro are sold in India in pre-filled pens with four applications.
Adjusted application formats also help build brand loyalty. If a patient gets used to a certain device, they usually don’t tend to switch, said Pharmarack’s Sapale.
“The company’s reputation within this therapeutic area, as well as the application system, will now be the big differentiators”, as the semaglutide molecule is the same in all products, she added.
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Patient Programs
Indian companies are also launching programs to boost use of the drug. Dr Reddy’s Semakare care app as well as metabolic centers will give the company a competitive edge over rivals, Chief Executive Officer, Brand Markets, MV Ramana told reporters on Saturday. According to him, the company will open 65 obesity clinics in the coming months.
Laboratories also began to form alliances. Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. this week announced a licensing partnership with Lupine and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Eris Lifesciences Ltda. teamed up with Natco Pharma to commercialize the drug. Dr. Reddy’s, in turn, has partnerships with two large Indian companies, Ramana said.
Generic manufacturers should also target smaller cities more heavily, where innovative companies do not yet have a widespread presence, Sapale said. “There will be a lot of noise” in the market as companies compete for share, he added.
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