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

by Riaz Haq

Dec 19, 2025

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

    Prime minister honours 30 top exporters of Pakistan. Getz Pharma receives the highest export award in the pharmaceutical industry
    Getz Pharma among 30 companies recognised as top pharmaceutical exporters in 2025


    https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2026/02/09/prime-minister-honou...


    Founded in 1995, Getz Pharma became Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical company within just 15 years of inception. It has been steadily building its exports by raising standards to meet the most demanding international benchmarks. Its success in global markets is rooted in an unwavering commitment to quality and compliance, reflected in accreditations from leading regulatory agencies of regulated markets, including the World Health Organization-Geneva, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and PIC/S. Every pack exported to more than 45 countries is manufactured at Getz Pharma’s internationally accredited and approved facilities at Karachi. This export leadership is the result of sustained vision and bold investment decisions. Over the past 15 years, Getz Pharma has invested nearly PKR 50 billion in cutting‑edge manufacturing plants, quality management systems, and advanced technologies. Getz Pharma is the first company in Pakistan that set up a Biotechnology Manufacturing Facility in 2007, where it manufactured the first Human Insulin (Insuget) and Insulin Analogues (Basagin) in Pakistan. The company remained the only manufacturer of insulins in Pakistan for over 17 years.

    Feb 9

  • Riaz Haq

    Ozempic Copies at $14 in India as Generic GLP-1 Era Starts

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-20/ozempic-copies-t...

    At least a dozen large Indian drugmakers are set to roll out copies of Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs as soon as the patent expires, crashing prices in the country.
    Natco Pharma Ltd. plans to make an injection for semaglutide with a starting price of 1,290 rupees a month, and a pen device expected to launch by April and cost about 4,500 rupees a month.
    About 42 drug manufacturers are expected to launch products under more than 50 brand names this year, with generic drugmakers experimenting with different delivery formats and forging alliances to compete in the market.

    At least a dozen large Indian drugmakers are set to roll out copies of Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs as soon as the patent expires Friday, crashing prices in the country with the third-largest overweight population.

    Natco Pharma Ltd. plans to make an injection for semaglutide — the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy — that will have a starting price of 1,290 rupees ($14) a month, on the first day the generics are allowed. The pen device is expected to launch by April and cost about 4,500 rupees a month, it said in a filing.

    By comparison, Novo’s Wegovy pen starts at about 10,480 rupees ($113) in India and about $199 in the US under the self-pay model. Other companies are likely to price the starting dose between 3,000 rupees ($32) and 5,000 rupees a month, according to people familiar with the matter who did not want to be named as the information is competitive.

    While Canada was the first to lose patent protection for semaglutide in January, the Canadian health regulator hasn’t approved any generics so far effectively making India the first major market to see a flood of copycat versions. The ensuing price war will be closely watched as the Danish drugmaker faces patent expiries in key markets including China, Brazil and Turkey.

    Mar 20

  • Riaz Haq

    Russian firm to invest $80 million in Pakistan to produce insulin with local partner

    https://www.arabnews.com/node/2638278/pakistan

    Project includes plants to produce insulin locally from its active ingredient by 2031
    DRAP approves prices for Russian insulin, links them to local production commitment



    KARACHI: Russian firm Zavod Medsintez LLC and its local importer Genetics Pharmaceuticals Private Limited plan to invest about $80 million in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector over the next six years to start producing insulin locally, according to a notification the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) shared with Arab News on Tuesday.

    The two companies will build an aseptic filling plant and an insulin manufacturing facility in the South Asian nation in two stages which, DRAP said, should be respectively completed by Dec. 2028 and Dec. 2031.

    The plan surfaced as DRAP allowed the Russian manufacturer and its local partners to sell Rosinsulin R, Rosinsulin C and Rosinsulin M 30/70 insulin at maximum retail prices ranging from Rs1,399.33 ($5.01) per 10 milliliter vial to Rs3,235 ($11.6) per pack of five cartridges.

    “The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan with the approval of the federal government is pleased to fix maximum retail prices,” read the notification dated March 17.

    The move would bring fresh investment to Pakistan where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government is trying hard to woo foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country of more than 240 million people. FDI, however, has been moving south in recent years and has declined more than 33 percent to $1.19 billion this fiscal year during July-Feb. period, show State Bank of Pakistan data.

    The DRAP made the notified prices conditional and said the price revision is granted on the explicit understanding that Zavod Medsintez and Genetics Pharmaceuticals would “immediately” start the establishment of the relevant manufacturing facility plant and commencement of local production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) in two stages.

    API is the essential, biologically active component within a drug responsible for producing the intended health effects, such as curing, treating, or preventing diseases.

    “The first stage is the construction of an aseptic filling plant” at approximately $20 million, it said. The construction of the unit for bulk import and dedicated biological unit for aseptic filling of insulin and its derivatives should be completed by Dec. 31, 2028, the regulator said.

    “The second stage is the construction of an API production plant (at) approximately $60 million,” it added.

    The project will also include development and transfer of technology for the production of biotechnological products (insulins) from the API, i.e., from purification of API to packaging of its finished form, C Biotech, and should be completed by Dec. 31, 2031, the authority said, adding it would monitor progress and require the company to share stage-wise detailed timelines for investment.

    “In case of non-compliance with the commitment of setting up manufacturing facility and manufacturing in Pakistan, the product registration shall be canceled,” the DRAP warned.

    14 hours ago