Dr Reddy's delays semaglutide supplies over active ingredient quality issue

Drugmaker said certain batches of semaglutide failed to meet quality specifications, prompting a delay in commercial supplies, while maintaining there is no impact on patient safety

Dr Reddy's Laboratories said on Thursday that it is delaying commercial supplies ​of semaglutide due to an issue related ​to the active pharmaceutical ingredient used in ‌the drug, sending its shares down.

Semaglutide is the key ingredient in Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes and obesity medicines. Dr Reddy's has also launched its semaglutide injection, Obeda, in India to treat diabetes.

The Indian drugmaker said that certain batches of semaglutide were found to be out of specification and that it is investigating the ‌root cause and taking measures to ensure product quality.

"There is no impact on patient safety or on the product's existing global regulatory filings," Dr Reddy's said in a statement.

 

Dr Reddy's did not specify until when the supply issues would last ​and did not disclose further details.

Its shares were trading 1.8 per cent lower ‌at 1,324 rupees at 10:20 a.m. IST, while the pharma index was up 1.8 per cent ​and ‌Nifty 50 was 0.6 per cent higher.

More than half a dozen ‌Indian drugmakers have launched lower-cost copies of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, vying for a share ‌of ​the fast-growing global ​obesity treatment market.

Demand for the drugs has plateaued in June, according to research firm Pharmarack.