Abbott Brings Plosbrio Diabetes Drug to Asia Pacific
Abbott will commercialise Novo's semaglutide brand Plosbrio across Singapore and other Asia Pacific markets, following a related launch in India.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Diabetes
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Abbott will promote and distribute Plosbrio, a second brand of Ozempic developed and manufactured by Novo, across Singapore and other Asia Pacific countries. The partnership follows Abbott's commercialisation of a separate semaglutide brand, Extensior, in India.
Why it matters
The collaboration aims to expand access to evidence-based type 2 diabetes treatment in a region facing a rapidly growing diabetes burden. More than 107 million adults in Southeast Asia already live with diabetes.
Regional estimates place more than 107 million adults in Southeast Asia with diabetes, a figure projected to reach 185 million by 2050. Plosbrio's rollout timing in each market has not been specified and depends on regulatory approvals.
The players
Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare company with a workforce of about 122,000 employees and operations in more than 160 countries.
Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a Danish pharmaceutical company best known for developing semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
The details
Plosbrio is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise for adults with type 2 diabetes and will be available in a once-weekly FlexTouch pen with 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg doses. Abbott and Novo have partnered since 2019 to integrate Abbott's FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor with Novo's connected insulin pens.
Timeline
2019: Abbott and Novo began partnering on CGM and insulin pen integration.
2025: The WHO added semaglutide to its essential medicines list.
November 5, 2026: Abbott and Novo announced the expanded Plosbrio collaboration.
2050: Adults with diabetes in Southeast Asia are projected to reach 185 million.
Health Landscape
The WHO added semaglutide to its essential medicines list in 2025, and the Plosbrio partnership extends that global access push into commercial distribution across Asia Pacific. It places a diabetes therapy with more than 58 million patient-years of exposure into markets where diabetes prevalence is climbing quickly.
For adults with type 2 diabetes in participating markets, Plosbrio offers a once-weekly injectable option as an adjunct to diet and exercise. Availability will depend on local regulatory approval and launch timing in each country.
The takeaway
Adults managing type 2 diabetes in Asia Pacific should check with their healthcare provider about whether a once-weekly semaglutide therapy is appropriate and when it may become available in their market.
Further reading
For more on the disease at the center of this launch, see our Diabetes coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Macau Business.
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