&w=3840&q=100)
Pharma Inc gear up for Day 1 launch of obesity drug in March 2026
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Cipla, Sun Pharma, and Mankind Pharma, and others are ramping up peptide manufacturing, forming device partnerships, and aligning regulatory strategies to capture a share of the global GLP-1 market, estimated to cross $150 billion by decade's end.
Hyderabad-based DRL is planning Day 1 launches in India and Brazil, part of a 2026 global rollout across 87 countries. 'The semaglutide launch is very important to us,' said CEO Erez Israeli. The company aims to price its product below Novo Nordisk's current ₹17,000 monthly offering. DRL is also working on 26 GLP-1 therapies, backed by a ₹2,700 crore FY26 capex plan to scale peptide and biosimilar production.
Cipla is targeting first-wave launches through a mix of in-house and partner filings. 'We see GLP-1 as one of the biggest therapy opportunities in the last five years,' said Umang Vohra, MD and global CEO at the post earnings call. The company is building parts of its GLP-1 supply chain internally while leveraging partnerships to ensure scalability. Cipla is also crafting an affordable strategy for India's price-sensitive market, betting that post-patent price erosion will be offset by volume growth.
Mankind Pharma aims to launch both oral and injectable semaglutide generics and is advancing MKP10241, a novel oral obesity drug in Phase 2 trials in Australia. Sun Pharma, meanwhile, is progressing its investigational GLP-1 molecule Utreglutide, targeted for launch in four to five years. It has secured Phase III approval for semaglutide trials in India, even as it reports negligible impact of GLP-1 drugs on its existing diabetes portfolio.
The race for a piece of India's ₹628 crore anti-obesity market, however, comes at a time when the Indian courts and drug regulator body are looking to monitor the unregulated use of weight loss drugs.
According to sources, the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated work to form a panel after the Delhi High Court in July 2025 asked it to consult experts and relevant stakeholders to look into concerns arising out of approval for drug combinations being sold in the market for weight loss.
The directive came in response to a public interest litigation filed by fitness entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey, who had raised concerns about the marketing approval of drugs such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide for weight management, despite limited safety data and the absence of India-specific clinical trials.
While disposing of the petition, the court asked the drug regulator to respond to the petitioner within three months.
At present, India has two officially available semaglutide brands: Rybelsus (oral) and Wegovy (injectable), both from Danish major Novo Nordisk. Rybelsus is approved for treating Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy was launched in June 2025 for weight management.
US-based Eli Lilly's tirzepatide drug, Mounjaro, is also available in India for obesity management.
Analysts say the semaglutide opportunity is also fuelling India's peptide manufacturing ecosystem. 'Formulation is no longer enough—companies need full-stack execution,' said Nirali Shah, Pharma Analyst at Ashika Group, pointing to DRL, Cipla, and Sun Pharma's early moves to secure pen delivery partnerships.
Contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) like Anthem Biosciences and Syngene are positioning themselves to capture a larger share of the growing peptide segment. Device manufacturers, too, are scaling up to meet rising demand for injection pens.
India's peptide CDMO market, currently valued at $80 million, is growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent and could become a global supplier base for GLP-1 drugs, said Nilaya Varma, CEO of Primus Partners.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
Not acceptable: Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine
A top aide to US President Donald Trump criticised India for buying Russian oil, accusing the country of indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine. This comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on nations that continue purchasing oil from Miller, one of Trump's most influential advisors, said that Trump clearly believes India should stop buying Russian oil. "What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia," Miller said on Sunday Morning seemed surprised at the scale of India's oil trade with Russia. On Fox News, he said, "People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact." Despite the US pressure, India has shown no sign of stopping its purchases. According to the news agency Reuters, Indian government sources said they will continue to import oil from Miller tempered his criticism by noting Trump's relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he described as "tremendous."TRUMP SLAPS TARIFFS ON INDIAOn July 30, Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods and warned of potential penalties over India's purchase of Russian arms and oil. Immediately after the tariff announcement, Trump launched a blistering attack on New Delhi's ties with Moscow, dismissing both countries as "dead economies" and bluntly stating that he "does not care" what India does with has said he would consider imposing steep tariffs -- as high as 100% -- on imports from any country that continues to purchase oil from Russia unless Russia agrees to peace deal with TRADE WITH MOSCOW POINT OF IRRITATION: RUBIOWhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticised India's growing ties with Moscow. He called India a "strategic partner" but said its ongoing oil trade with Russia is a "point of irritation" in US-India imports of Russian oil have grown rapidly over the past few years. According to Reuters, before the Ukraine war in 2021, only 3% of India's oil came from Russia. That number has now jumped to between 35% and 40% of its total oil imports.- EndsWith inputs from Agencies Must Watch
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gujarat races ahead in IPO rush, tops Q1 listings and fundraising
Ahmedabad: Gujarat has surged ahead in the IPO race, topping the charts for the highest number of listings in the first quarter of FY26. A total of 14 companies from the state went public across the NSE and BSE platforms, collectively raising over Rs 3,495 crore, edging out heavyweights like Maharashtra and Delhi. Data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) shows that nine Gujarat-based firms listed on both the mainboard and NSE Emerge, mobilised Rs 3,374 crore during April-June 2025. Maharashtra matched Gujarat in terms of the number of NSE listings but trailed slightly in proceeds at Rs 3,300 crore. Meanwhile, four companies from the NCT of Delhi raised the highest capital among states, mopping up Rs 3,657 crore. On the BSE SME platform, Gujarat again led in terms of company count, with five firms raising Rs 121.6 crore, nearly a third of the total SME IPOs during the quarter. "Among the companies listed in Q1, Gujarat led with the highest number of nine listings, reflecting the state's growing dominance in capital market activity," the NSE noted. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Nationally, the sectoral breakdown of IPO activity reveals broad-based investor interest in sectors such as industrials, consumer discretionary, and energy. The industrial sector led with 13 companies raising Rs 2,176 crore, followed by consumer discretionary players, who raised a whopping Rs 9,033 crore from eight firms — the highest in terms of proceeds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Seniors Are Snapping Up This TV Box, We Explain! Techno Mag Learn More Undo The energy sector saw just two listings, but raised a sizeable Rs 2,873 crore, putting it second in terms of capital raised. According to BSE SME data, 12 companies listed on the exchange's SME platform in Q1, raising a cumulative Rs 387.26 crore. Gujarat led with five listings, followed by Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Vaibhav Shah, director at the Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI), attributed the trend to strong governance and rising equity awareness among Gujarat's entrepreneurs. "Gujarat-based companies have seen rapid growth in recent years. Many are now eyeing aggressive expansion, and IPOs are the natural route. Strong governance frameworks and a solid understanding of equity markets are driving the surge in SME IPOs," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC upholds ITAT order granting 80G approval to Raipur-based society
Raipur: In a significant judgment, the Chhattisgarh High Court upheld a decision by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) that allowed a Raipur-based society to receive tax exemption benefits under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. The court ruled that since the society already had a valid registration under Section 12AA—which confirms its charitable status—the Income Tax Department could not deny 80G approval by questioning its activities. The court dismissed the department's appeal, stating that the ITAT followed legal precedent and committed no error in granting the relief. The High Court ruled that the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) was correct in directing that a society should be granted approval under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961, as long as its registration under Section 12AA of the Act is in existence. The court dismissed an appeal filed by the Income Tax Department, stating that no illegality or irregularity was committed by the ITAT in setting aside an order from the Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT). Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 provides tax deductions to individuals and companies who donate to charitable institutions and funds in India, while Section 12AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 deals with the registration of trusts and other charitable or religious institutions to avail tax exemptions on their income. The case involves a society that applied for approval under Section 80G of the Act on 28 Feb 2014. The CIT, Raipur, rejected the application on 25 Aug 2014, finding that the society was engaged in commercial activities and could not be considered a charitable organisation. The CIT noted that the society was running institutes on commercial lines, took large bank loans for infrastructure, and rented out its buildings for commercial purposes. The society filed an appeal with the ITAT, Raipur Bench, which allowed the appeal on 15 Jan 2019. The ITAT set aside the CIT's order and directed that the society be granted approval under Section 80G. The Income Tax Department, challenging the ITAT's decision, argued that the tribunal failed to appreciate that the society was providing vocational education for a fee, which it said did not qualify as "education" under Section 2(15) of the Act. The department contended that the society's work was commercial and not charitable. Counsels for the society, Sumesh Bajaj and Rishabh Bajaj, supported the ITAT's order. They argued that benefits under Section 80G of the Act cannot be denied if registration under Section 12AA is valid and has not been cancelled. They stated that the society's registration was renewed until Assessment Year 2026-27. The counsel cited judgments from the Supreme Court and the High Courts of Gujarat and Punjab and Haryana to support their arguments. After hearing both sides and reviewing the orders, Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru ruled in favour of the society. The court noted that the ITAT's decision was based on a precedent from the Gujarat High Court, which held that once registration under Section 12AA of the Act is granted, the benefits cannot be denied. The court observed that the department had not presented any material to show that the decision relied upon by the ITAT was set aside by a higher judicial forum. It held that the ITAT had not committed any illegality or irregularity. The High Court answered the substantial question of law in favour of the respondent and against the appellant. It upheld the ITAT's decision, ruling that as long as the registration under Section 12AA of the Act is in existence, the Income Tax Department cannot make a further enquiry into the genuineness of the society's activities and whether they are charitable. The appeal filed by the Income Tax Department was dismissed. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
