Semaglutide is an antidiabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management. It is a peptide similar to the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), modified with a side chain. It can be administered by subcutaneous injection or taken orally. It is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus for diabetes, and under the brand name Wegovy for weight loss.

Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy were approved in Europe in 2017, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Ozempic, a formulation of semaglutide, is expected to go off-patent by 2026 in various markets.

Under the terms of this agreement, Biocon will develop, manufacture and supply the drug product, while Biomm will be responsible for obtaining regulatory approval and commercialization in the Brazilian market. 

Biomm focuses on developing, manufacturing and commercializing complex biotech and biosimilar drug products at its production facility in Nova Lima.

According to the Diabetes Atlas of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Brazil ranks fifth in the world for the highest incidence of diabetes, with 16.8 million adults aged 20 to 79 years old affected by the disease, and an estimated 21.5 million cases by 2030. The total addressable market for Semaglutide in Brazil stands at around US$580 million, based on IQVIA Moving Annual Total 2023 data.

New drugs have the largest share of the pharmaceutical market in Brazil, while biological drugs are the ones that have grown the most [1].

The Brazilian pharmaceutical market is the third largest in the Americas region, after Canada and the US, and it ranks first in the Latin American region [2].

Related articles
Strategic plans of ANVISA and COFEPRIS to advance health regulation

Brazil advances in follow-on biologicals/biosimilars approvals, trailing Europe

Fiocruz and Pfizer sign agreement for generic of Xeljanz

References
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Brazil [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2024 Jun 12]. Available from:
www.gabionline.net/generics/general/pharmaceutical-manufacturing-companies-in-brazil
2. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. The pharmaceutical market in Brazil [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2024 Jun 12]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/generics/general/The-pharmaceutical-market-in-Brazil

Permission granted to reproduce for personal and non-commercial use only. All other reproduction, copy or reprinting of all or part of any ‘Content’ found on this website is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of the publisher. Contact the publisher to obtain permission before redistributing.

Copyright – Unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are © 2024 Pro Pharma Communications International. All Rights Reserved.