Dr Reddy's shifts to new generic semaglutide brands after Obeda impurity halt

After detecting an impurity in the active ingredient of its Obeda injectable, Dr Reddy's halted shipments of the drug in July and recalled existing stock from distributors. The firm plans to discontinue the original formulation and focus on two new versions, Obeda Pro and Obeda Plus, which entered the market in late July and are manufactured by Hetero Labs. The original Obeda, launched in March as a generic of Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, sparked a competitive rush among Indian pharma firms to offer lower-cost alternatives to the weight-loss and diabetes drug.

Research firm Pharmarack projects the domestic semaglutide market to reach 80 billion rupees by 2030. Dr Reddy's sold about 442,000 units of generic semaglutide through September, far outpacing Sun Pharma's 151,000 units. Analysts cautioned that the supply interruption could cost the company market share if not resolved quickly. Neither Dr Reddy's nor the contract manufacturers responded to requests for comment.