Pakistan Pharma Begins Domestic Production of GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs

[Riaz Haq]

Several Pakistani pharmaceutical companies have started domestic production of generic versions of GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) drugs Ozempic/Wegovy (Semaglutide) and Mounjaro/Zeptide (Tirzepatide). Priced significantly lower than the branded imports, these domestically manufactured generic drugs will increase Pakistanis' access and affordability to address the obesity crisis in the country, resulting in lower disease burdens and improved life quality and longer life expectancy. Obesity causes diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) which are now among the leading causes of death in Pakistan. 

Pakistan Pharmaceutical Companies

BF Biosciences, Ferozsons, Getz Pharma and GD Searle Co are among the leading pharma producers of both injectable and pill versions of the GLP-1 and GIP drugs in Pakistan.  Over the last few years, these drugs have revolutionized treatment of diabetes and obesity. Now, Pakistani pharmaceutical companies have begun manufacturing biosimilar versions of these therapies locally, marking a major milestone in access and affordability. Biosimilars are biologic medicines developed to match the safety, efficacy, and quality of their international counterparts, approved only after rigorous regulatory evaluation, according to Pakistani media reports. 

Obesity Risk Among Men. Source: World Obesity Atlas

The obesity crisis has become a global health emergency with over a billion people living with obesity in the world, creating global opportunities for weight-loss drugmakers. Rapidly rising rates of obesity in adults and children are being blamed on factors like processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and stress, leading to serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and huge healthcare costs, requiring multifaceted solutions including policy changes, better nutrition, and integrated healthcare. 

Obesity Risk Among Women. Source: World Obesity Atlas

Pakistani drugmakers are planning to export these weight-loss and diabetes drugs in the near future.  Over a dozen pharma companies are upgrading factories with a total investment of more than $500 million to ensure their medications and factories are compliant with overseas regulations, said Javed Ghulam Mohammad, chief executive officer at Martin Dow Group. His company is a member of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, which is backing the effort. The sector’s push comes as the nation looks to increase overall exports to lift the economy.

The country's drug exports have increased the most in two decades in the fiscal year ending in June, 2025, growing 34% to $457 million, according to the association. Pharmaceutical shipments have the potential to reach $5 billion in eight years if the overseas push is successful, Mohammad said. That would make pharmaceuticals among Pakistan’s largest product exports, according to Bloomberg. 

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[Riaz Haq]

@SushantS

In the eight months since it was approved for sale, Mounjaro – a jab that regulates blood sugar and suppresses appetite to help with diabetes and obesity – is now India’s highest-selling drug, overtaking antibiotics.


https://x.com/sushantsin/status/2002341360037478789?s=61&t=mgTx...

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India’s doctors sound alarm over boom in availability of weight loss jabs
Country is facing epidemic of diabetes and obesity, but experts say widespread and unregulated use of weight loss drugs could put patients at risk

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/20/rindia-doctors-sound-...


ndia’s leading doctors have warned of the dangers of an unregulated boom in weight loss injections, and emphasised they are not a magic pill to solve the country’s growing epidemic of diabetes and obesity.

Demand for appetite-suppressing drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic has surged since they were introduced into the Indian market this year.

In the eight months since it was approved for sale, Mounjaro – a jab that regulates blood sugar and suppresses appetite to help with diabetes and obesity – is now India’s highest-selling drug, overtaking antibiotics.

Its commercial success has led its producer, the drug company Eli Lilly, to begin trials on a similar drug that works on suppressing appetite, and could be released in India in pill form by next year.

An Ozempic jab pen in a read superhero cap with a swirl of pink and white lines behind

An Eli Lilly spokesperson said: “Rising urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, and changing diets have made weight management a growing public health priority. This convergence of high unmet need, growing awareness and improving access to innovative therapies makes India a significant market for weight loss drugs.”

The drug company Novo Nordisk is also pushing for a share of the market. It launched Ozempic this month at the competitively low price of 8,800 rupees (£73) for four jabs a month, compared with the 14,000 rupees (£115) monthly cost of Mounjaro – prices beyond the reach of the average Indian household.

But by March next year, the drug company patents on many of these semaglutide drugs is due to expire in India. This will open the market to domestic companies who are developing their own cheaper versions, which are expected to flood the market and make prices more affordable. Experts predict the market for weight loss drugs in India will hit $150bn (£112bn) a year by the end of the decade.

Many medical professionals and patients have hailed the wide access to these jabs as a long-overdue necessity for India, which is in the grips of a surge in obesity and diabetes that threatens to overwhelm the country’s already underfunded and overburdened healthcare system.

According to experts, diabetes and obesity are likely to become the biggest killers in India by 2030. A recent global analysis found that India had roughly 212 million adults with diabetes, accounting for more than a quarter of the global total.

A study by the Lancet found India had about 180 million adults who were overweight or obese in 2021 – and by 2050, this could increase to 450 million, equating to almost a third of India’spredicted adult population.

Mohit Bhandari, one of India’s leading bariatric surgeons, said he believed that the official numbers of people with diabetes and obesity in India were a “significant undercount due to poor data collection” and estimated they were more than 10% higher than government records.

However, Bhandari is among those urging caution at the widespread and unregulated use of weight loss drugs, which he said were already being abused and mis-prescribed with possible long-term consequences.

“The GLP-1 drugs already very important for India, they’re more than welcome,” he said. “However, there are very significant problems and caveats to this. These jabs should be properly controlled by the government.”