Key Highlights:
- Emcure Pharmaceuticals announced that its co-marketed brand Poviztra (innovator semaglutide, rDNA origin) is now available for treating non-cirrhotic MASH in adults with moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis (F2-F3), following CDSCO’s approval of Wegovy® for the indication.
- The approval makes semaglutide the first and only GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in India for MASH. In the Phase III ESSENCE trial, semaglutide achieved steatohepatitis resolution in 63% of patients and improved liver fibrosis in 37%, with one in three achieving both outcomes.
- Through its subsidiary Zuventus Healthcare’s gastroenterology and hepatology portfolio, Emcure plans to support greater MASH awareness, diagnosis, and treatment access in India. Poviztra is manufactured and imported from Novo Nordisk’s European facility and already carries indications in obesity and related metabolic conditions.
Implications:
Poviztra’s new MASH label lets Emcure plug innovator semaglutide directly into India’s emerging fatty liver treatment market, riding on ESSENCE data (63% steatohepatitis resolution, 37% fibrosis improvement, one in three achieving both) while leveraging Zuventus’s gastro–hepato franchise to expand diagnosis and specialist use, without having to build a new molecule or facility since the drug is imported from Novo Nordisk’s European plant and already established in obesity and cardiometabolic indications.
Source: Emcure
