Amneal Pharma to invest Rs 1,600 crore in Gujarat to make GLP-1 drugs

Globally, there is a shortage of this new class of diabetes and obesity treatment

Nasdaq-listed Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which already operates multiple manufacturing facilities in Gujarat, is further investing up to Rs 1,680 crore ($200 million) over the next four to five years for peptide synthesis and advanced sterile fill-finish manufacturing.

The company said on Tuesday that it will build two new manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad with a total investment of $150–200 million. The company will develop and supply a portfolio of next-generation branded medicines for metabolic diseases and obesity, including GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonists, in collaboration with Metsera.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, a new class of drugs offering breakthrough treatment for diabetes and obesity, are estimated to be a $100 billion global opportunity by 2030. At present, there is a global shortage of GLP-1 products like semaglutide due to off-label usage for weight loss. Innovators like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are scaling up production to meet this overwhelming demand.

 

In July, Arunish Chawla, secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), said the local pharmaceutical industry is already working on producing these drugs domestically once patents expire around 2026. Chawla noted that work has already begun, and soon GLP-1RA drugs will be made in India under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

Founded by Indian-origin Chirag and Chintu Patel in 2002, Amneal is a global pharmaceutical company that manufactures in the US, India, and Ireland. It has eight manufacturing facilities in India, including five in Ahmedabad, with additional sites in Dahej, Hyderabad, and Vizag, and commercial offices in Mumbai. The company has invested $600 million in India over the past 10 years. Amneal’s eight existing manufacturing facilities in India include four dedicated to injectables, two dedicated to active pharmaceutical ingredients, and two dedicated to oral solid dosage products. These facilities collectively produce up to 60 million units of injectables and 8.5 billion tablets annually.

“With these new facilities, we are proud to be at the forefront of developing and manufacturing innovative, branded medicines at scale in India, which will supply the local market and the rest of the world,” said Chirag and Chintu Patel, co-founders and co-chief executive officers of Amneal.