The drug’s availability in India could cause major disruptions to the Indian diabetes drugs market, which is expected to register a CAGR of over 3.5% between 2022 and 2027. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a significant increase in the market.
Eli Lilly and Company lobbied India’s drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), for approval of tirzepatide, a blockbuster drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. It was launched last year in the United States under the brand name Mounjaro and is also used as a weight loss drug and has not received formal approval for this use but has shown promising results in clinical trials. Vineet Gupta, managing director of Elli Lilly and Company of India, said in an exchange with Moneycontrol that he approached CDSCO for approval of the drug in India.
“Tirzepatide is the next innovation in diabetes management,” he said. “We are doing our best to secure regulatory approval so that Indian patients can benefit from this innovation as soon as possible.” I will explain why I decorated the headline inside.
What is Munjaro?
Like Ozempic and Wegovy (two different versions of Novo Nordisk’s antidiabetic drug semaglutide), Mounjaro is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a class of drugs used to treat diabetes and aid weight loss. 1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), the hormone that helps release insulin after food intake, noted Dr. Anupam Biswas, a consultant endocrinologist at Fortis Hospital, Noida. .
“This is a single molecule that targets both the body’s receptors for GIP and GLP-1, both natural incretins (hormones released from the gut into the bloodstream in response to blood intake). explained Dr. Biswas.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved once-weekly injections in adults with type 2 diabetes to lower blood sugar levels, and is recommended in conjunction with diet and exercise. Although it has been found to help with weight loss, it is not currently approved for weight loss.
Read also I COVID-19 continues to surge in India, but Pax Lovid is only a minor player
What are the advantages over weight loss pills Ozempic?
Mounjaro’s availability has excited both physicians and patients in the United States, with the drug reportedly making Eli Lilly the country’s most valuable independent pharmaceutical company with a market value of over $300 billion. reported to be helpful in
But what makes it different from other weight loss drugs, especially Ozempic, another blockbuster drug?
Dr. Biswas said the results of the Surpass trial, a multinational clinical trial to confirm the efficacy of tirzepatide, showed that the drug led to significant reductions in HbA1c (a marker of diabetes) and weight, a benefit for people with diabetes. I pointed out that the .
Another trial comparing the drug to semaglutide showed that Munjaro reduced weight by up to 22.5% over 72 weeks during the study in people who had difficulty losing weight despite dieting.
By comparison, two versions of semaglutide, Ozempic, and Wegovy, which share the same active ingredient, induced weight loss of up to approximately 18% in trials.
Will this drug be available in India in the near future?
Gupta said the company had already applied for approval of the drug in the country, but declined to say whether the drug would be available in the form of an injection or as an oral drug.
