Tabuk will oversee the registration, importation and marketing of GLP-1 products in the region. Credit: mkfilm/Shutterstock.

Biocon has entered a partnership with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals for the commercialisation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) products in the Middle East.

The collaboration aims to provide products for diabetes and chronic weight management in select countries within the region.

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Biocon will develop and manufacture these GLP-1 products.

Biocon CEO and managing director Siddharth Mittal stated: “I am pleased to expand our partnership with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, which paves the way for our vertically integrated, complex GLP-1 formulations entry into Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.”

Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Astra Industrial Group, will own marketing authorisation rights for the products.

The company will also be responsible for their registration, importation and promotion.

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The partnership includes provisions for expanding the agreement to cover additional GLP products.

An option for a technology transfer could enable local manufacturing in the future.

Tabuk Pharmaceuticals CEO Ismail Shehadah stated: “We are confident that this partnership supports our efforts to manufacture and localise a range of GLP-1 products in the region and strengthen our market-leading position in the area of diabetes medications, in line with our strategy.

“This also stands as a commitment from our side to support the 2030 vision of Saudi Arabia through localising speciality pharmaceutical products in the Kingdom.”

GLP-1 medications lower blood sugar levels and aid in weight loss. They function as physiological hormones that regulate glucose through GLP-1 receptors, enhancing insulin secretion and suppressing glucagon production.

The hormones also slow gastric emptying and reduce food intake, which helps maximise nutrient absorption while controlling weight.

Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon, successfully integrated the biosimilars business of Viatris in 31 European countries, in December 2023.

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