Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk’s obesity and diabetes drug
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In a challenging environment, RPG Life Sciences has had discussions with 13 of its international customers to help absorb escalating input costs, and that has reflected in its financial performance in the first three months of the quarter (Q1 FY27), said Ashok Nair, RPGLS Managing Director, even as he outlined plans to acquire a manufacturing facility, besides launching weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide.“We have started FY27 on a strong footing with a 16 per cent revenue growth and an 18 per cent EBITDA growth, helping improve EBITDA margin from 24.1 to 24.5 per cent this quarter, while also expanding margins despite the challenging external environment,” Nair said.With the global uncertainty and rising input costs continuing to be a challenge, Nair said, “we are also undergoing discussions with key global customers to pass the price through. And as of date, 13 customers have already agreed. So there is actually an upside due to exchange rate for the upward movement. Industries are under pressure due to the West Asia crisis.” “We’ve been able to expand margins by proactive actions.” In February, “call it serendipity, we were a little more proactive and we took measures at that time,” he added.The ₹707 crore RPGLS’ revenue from operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 stood at ₹195.7 crore, up 15.8 per cent, and Profit after tax was ₹30 crore, up 15.7 per cent. The Harsh-Goenka-led RPG Group holds about 73 per cent stake in the company. The domestic market is a key one for the company, and 35 per cent of its products are under price-control, he said.Semaglutide waveOutlining plans for growth, Nair said, they are scouting for a manufacturing facility in India, and were willing to spend between ₹700 to ₹1,000 crore. “We are looking to assets...which can strengthen our presence in nephrology, rheumatology, where we are already strong,” he said, adding it could be an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) or formulations facility.Plans are also afoot to be part of the second wave of semaglutide launches, he said. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk’s obesity and diabetes drug. A host of domestic drugmakers have launched their versions of this drug, after a patent on semaglutide expired in India and other markets, in March this year.While there is “inventory correction”, Nair explains the rationale behind a possible launch in a couple of months — “What makes this category so powerful is, it’s not a single indication story anymore. It’s becoming a platform for chronic metabolic care. In fact, it just got approved for fatty liver acid. And it has got the potential to influence treatment strategies across multiple business areas. So while the current market for GLP, it looks it’s beginning to rise, but the players have already intensified their research to launch next generation molecules.”Published on July 29, 2026
