Glenmark Launches Biosimilar Antidiabetic Drug in India

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday said it has launched a biosimilar of the popular antidiabetic drug, Liraglutide in India.

The drug is being marketed under the brand name Lirafit following the approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the company said in a statement.

It is priced at around Rs 100 for a standard dose of 1.2mg (per day) and will lower the cost of therapy by approximately 70 per cent, the company claimed.

Lirafit will be available only under prescription.

"Clinical trials have shown that it helps improve glycemic control in adult type 2 diabetes mellitus patients along with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and obesity," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals President and Business Head India Formulations, Alok Malik said.

Liraglutide has also proven to have a positive impact on cardiac and renal safety outcomes among patients in clinical trials, making it an effective choice of treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, he added.

"With this launch, we have now ventured into the injectable antidiabetic market taking another significant stride in the diabetes therapy space," Malik said.