https://arab.news/gwp4y
- Tirzepatide launched as pre-filled syringe, developed using IPO proceeds, BF Biosciences says
- Pakistan faces one of the world’s highest diabetes burdens, affecting over 33 million adults
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s BF Biosciences Limited, a subsidiary of Ferozsons Laboratories Limited, has launched its new product Zeptide® (Tirzepatide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, the company said in a filing to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) this month.
The launch comes as Pakistan faces one of the world’s highest diabetes burdens, affecting over 33 million adults, which is about 26 percent of the adult population. The country ranks third globally in the absolute number of people with diabetes and faces a growing crisis as nine million people remain undiagnosed. According to the World Health Organization, 57 percent of women and 41 percent of men in the country are overweight or obese, with obesity increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 7 times.
“Tirzepatide is a synthetic polypeptide molecule that acts as a dual agonist for the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, meaning it targets both the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor pathways,” the company said in a listing earlier this month.
BF Biosciences said Zeptide, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is produced at its new state-of-the-art European prefilled-syringes facility.
“The pre-filled syringe is in a patient-friendly format that eliminates dosing errors,” it said, adding that the product had been tested for “quality, chemical structure and potency” both in the United States and at a leading national university in Pakistan.
The company said the development of Zeptide® was part of the IPO proceeds utilization outlined in its prospectus.
“As the 1st Biopharmaceutical Plant in Pakistan, BF Biosciences Limited has remained committed to the production of essential medicines for the treatment of HCV, Cancer, Cardiology, Diabetes, nephrology and other therapeutic areas for over a decade,” the company said.
“We are confident that the launch of Zeptide® will have a positive impact on the Company’s growth and will further strengthen our mission to address critical unmet patient needs,” the filing added.