Looking to enter India’s ₹1,446 crore glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) market, Hyderabad-based pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has launched its semaglutide generic, Obeda, for Type 2 diabetes management in India.
The launch comes a day after semaglutide lost its patent protection. The cost to the patient for Obeda is ₹4,200 per month for its 2 milligram (mg) and 4 mg versions- a 62 per cent drop from the highest dosage form of the innovator drug Ozempic, marketed by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk.
GLP-1 agonists are a class of medicines that help regulate blood sugar, increase fullness (satiety), and slow stomach emptying, leading to weight loss and improved glucose control in patients with type-2 diabetes and obesity.
DRL’s Obeda injection will come in a pre-filled, disposable pen designed for subcutaneous, once-a-week administration, with each pen delivering a minimum of 4 weekly doses.
The company indicated plans to sell 12 million injectable Semaglutide pens in the first year of launch, according to its earlier regulatory filings. “We intend to be among the top five players in the semaglutide space in India,” M V Ramana, CEO, Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets) told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.
Officials in the know added that DRL expects to receive regulatory approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to manufacture and market a semaglutide generic for weight management in the coming months.
“This is one launch out of many we are going to have this year from the GLP-1 receptor agonists therapy space,’’ said DRL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erez Israeli.
He added that as part of the phase 1 launch, DRL will aim at introducing generic semaglutide in several countries, with the firm committed to ensuring the same high-quality product across all markets under its ‘One Product, One Quality’ approach.
One such market can be Canada, where DRL had the first-to-file (FTF) status for generics semaglutide. However, the launch was put on a pause after it received a Notice of Non-Compliance (NON) from Health Canada over its Abbreviated New Drug Submission (ANDS).
“We are in constant touch with the Canadian regulators and have sent our replies to their queries,” said Ramana.
Ramana said that DRL will partner with two drugmakers to allow them to produce its product under their brand name. “We are also in dialogue with a few global players for overseas markets,” he added.
With both active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and manufacturing, as well as formulation development conducted entirely in-house, the drugmaker stated that it will have good control over Obeda’s supply chain.
With 101 million people with diabetes, and another 136 million of its population in the prediabetic segment, India is fast becoming an emerging hotspot for GLP-1 agonist therapies.
The country also has the second-highest population living with type 2 diabetes after China, alongside rapidly increasing obesity rates, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates.
New launches in the Indian injectable GLP-1 agonist segment, including tirzepatide and semaglutide, have already seen a 177 per cent rise in sales in the last year on a moving annual turnover (MAT) basis — from ₹571 crore in February 2025 to ₹1,446 crore in February 2026.
The sales value is expected to increase, with over 50 generics of semaglutide expected to flood the Indian market within the next month.
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