In July 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved interchangeable status for Biocon's diabetes biosimilar insulin glargine, branded as Semglee. A milestone achievement for Biocon as it was the first ever interchangeable status granted for a biosimilar in the US.

In this edition of The Medicine Box, CNBC-TV18's Ekta Batra gets in conversation with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of Biocon, to discuss Semglee and what the interchangeable biosimilar status means.

They also discuss Boehringer Ingelheim’s biosimilar Cyltezo, which was approved in October. It is the second to have received the nod for interchangeable status by the US drug regulator. Cyltezo is the biosimilar version of one of the world’s largest selling biologic drugs Humira, which is used for arthritis and other conditions.

Shaw says this development possibly paves the way for more life-saving drugs seeing greater accessibility and reduced price.

Watch the accompanying video for more.