Glenmark Becomes First Indian Company to Launch Biosimilar of Liraglutide

Glenmark became the first Indian company to introduce a biosimilar of the anti-diabetic GLP-1 drug Liraglutide in India. Additionally, it has revealed a number of collaborations to introduce new drugs, such as partnerships with Jiangsu Alphamab Biopharmaceuticals and 3D Medicines for KN035 (Envafolimab) in various regions globally.

The company collaborated with Pfizer to introduce Abrocitinib in India for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, which will be sold under the brand name Jabryus. It has struck a deal with BeiGene to market and distribute Tislelizumab and Zanubrutinib in India.

Glenmark is dedicated to advancing up the value chain towards becoming a branded pharmaceutical company, with a large amount of its revenue originating from higher-margin branded products, as stated by its chairman and managing director, Glenn Saldanha, after successfully navigating a tough period.

“I think we've come a long way… We had three, four difficult years,” he said, citing issues with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and some litigations.

“Lots of challenges we faced… All that is behind us,” Saldanha added. “I think now things are much better. So, the platform is set to continue to scale and to grow faster.”

On some analysts raising doubts about Glenmark’s way forward after the sale of Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS), its active pharmaceutical ingredient business, and some branded portfolios, Saldanha said, “We've done some portfolio rationalisation, and the GLS divestment was because our view was, given the changing dynamic in the generics business, we didn't find the need to keep the API business within our portfolio. The sale helped us to re-channelise our entire energies into becoming a branded company."