‐ The anti‐diabetic biosimilar has been launched under the brand name Lirafit™, and is indicated for improving glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.1
‐ Clinical trials on Liraglutide have demonstrated several benefits, including effectively lowering glycemic parameters, weight reduction, and cardiovascular safety in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.2,3,4,5
‐ Liraglutide belongs to the class of glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) that are recommended in the treatment guidelines by the American Diabetes Association as well as the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) Consensus Statement & European Society of
Cardiology for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with co‐morbidities, like established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and obesity.6,7,8,9
‐ Lirafit™ will sharply lower the daily cost of therapy by around 70% to around INR 100; making the drug more accessible to a larger number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the country.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Glenmark), a research‐led, global pharmaceutical company, haslaunched a biosimilar of the popular 10,11 anti‐diabetic drug, Liraglutide, for the first time in India. The drug is being marketed under the brand name Lirafit™ following the approval
from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Priced at around INR 100 for a standard dose of 1.2mg (per day), this will lower the cost of therapy by approximately 70%, and will be available only under
prescription.
Liraglutide belongs to the class of glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP‐1 RA) drugs, which increase glucose‐dependent insulin secretion and decrease in appropriate glucagon secretion.12,13 It has been approved globally for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adult patients in the United
States and the European Union.14
“Glenmark is proud to introduce Lirafit™, a novel and affordable biosimilar of the drug liraglutide, for the first time in India. Clinical trials have shown that it helps improve glycemic control in adult type 2 diabetes mellitus patients along with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and obesity. 1‐5 Liraglutide has also proven to have a positive impact on cardiac and renal safety outcomes among patients in clinical trials, making it an effective choice of treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes
mellitus.4,5,7,14,15 With this launch, we have now ventured into the injectable anti‐diabetic market taking another significant stride in the diabetes therapy space,” remarked Alok Malik, President and Business Head ‐ India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
