Dr Reddy’s rolls out oral semaglutide in India

Hyderabad: Close on the heels of the launch of its injectable semaglutide in the Canada market, Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Wednesday announced the rollout of oral semaglutide biosimilar, Obeda, for adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in India, expanding its presence in the fast-growing GLP-1 therapy segment.The Hyderabad-based drugmaker said that Obeda, prescribed as a once-daily oral treatment, will be sold as tablets in strengths of 3 mg, 7 mg and 14 mg, priced at Rs 99, Rs 135 and Rs 225 per tablet, respectively.Dr Reddy's said the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved Obeda after reviewing a Phase III clinical study in India involving 288 participants with Type 2 diabetes. According to the company, the trial showed non-inferior efficacy and a safety profile comparable to the innovator oral drug.Similar outcomes were reported for fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, weight loss and overall glycaemic control, including the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c below 7% at 12 and 24 weeks, it added.The India launch of the oral version of the drug comes after Dr Reddy's recently introduced generic semaglutide injections in India in late March and more recently in Canada, strengthening its broader diabetes and metabolic disease portfolio.Pointing out that India remains one of the world's largest diabetes markets, the company said, citing an ICMR INDIAB study, that more than 101 million adults in the country live with diabetes, while nearly 136 million are prediabetic.It added that about 40% of adults have abdominal obesity, increasing the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes.Dr Reddy's Labs CEO for global generics, M V Ramana, said the launch of the product, which is developed and formulated in-house, marks a key step in the company's journey to broaden access to diabetes care."As we continue to build a comprehensive GLP-1 portfolio, we are focused on delivering innovation, high-quality and affordability, translating into meaningful treatment options and better long-term outcomes for people living with chronic metabolic diseases in India and beyond," he said.