Emcure Pharma up 3% after CDSCO approves semaglutide for MASH treatment

Shares of Emcure Pharmaceuticals rose 3.14 per cent to ₹1,919.7 apiece on the NSE during Tuesday's intraday trade after the Pune-headquartered drugmaker announced that Poviztra®, its co-marketed brand of innovator semaglutide (rDNA origin), will now be available for the treatment of non-cirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in adults with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (F2-F3), following the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization's (CDSCO) approval of Wegovy® for the indication.

 

The approval makes the innovator molecule from Novo Nordisk the first and only GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in India for the treatment of the disease. It also enables Emcure and its subsidiaries to offer the new indication through Poviztra®, expanding access to innovator semaglutide for patients living with a progressive liver disease that has long faced limited treatment options.

 

 

MASH develops when excess fat accumulates in the liver, leading to chronic inflammation, fibrosis and progressive liver damage. Closely linked with obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, the disease is often asymptomatic until advanced stages, making timely diagnosis and intervention critical.

 

The approval is supported by results from the global Phase III ESSENCE trial, in which semaglutide demonstrated resolution of steatohepatitis in 63 per cent of patients and improvement in liver fibrosis in 37 per cent of patients. One in three patients achieved both resolution of steatohepatitis and improvement in liver fibrosis, highlighting semaglutide's potential to address the underlying disease in addition to its established metabolic benefits.

 

Commenting on the development, Satish Mehta, chief executive officer and managing director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said: "The approval for MASH marks an important milestone for patients living with a serious and often underdiagnosed liver disease. We are pleased to make this important new indication available through Poviztra®, further strengthening our commitment to bringing globally validated, innovative therapies to patients in India. We look forward to working closely with healthcare professionals to improve awareness, encourage earlier diagnosis and expand access to evidence-based treatment for people living with MASH."

 

The stock pared some of its early gains but continued to trade higher. At 2:00 PM, shares of Emcure Pharmaceuticals were trading at ₹1,914.20 apiece, up 2.85 per cent from the previous close on the NSE. At the same time, the benchmark Nifty50 index was at 24,172, down 65 points, or 0.26 per cent.