Eli Lilly's Mounjaro tops India pharma charts with ₹100 crore sales in Oct

Mounjaro is part of a new generation of weight-loss and diabetes drugs that target metabolic hormones. Introduced in March, it was launched ahead of rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy

Eli Lilly’s anti-obesity drug Mounjaro emerged as India’s highest-selling pharmaceutical by value in October, posting sales worth ₹100 crore ($11.38 million), Reuters reported today.

 

Demand for anti-obesity medication, which helps regulate blood sugar and slow digestion, has been rising steadily in the world’s most populous nation. Launched in March, Mounjaro preceded rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, which entered the market in June. By the end of October, Mounjaro had generated total revenue of ₹333 crore, research firm Pharmarack said. The firm added that Mounjaro’s consumption in India by volume was ten times higher than Wegovy’s in October.

 

What does Mounjaro do?

 

Mounjaro belongs to a new class of weight-loss and diabetes drugs that act on metabolic hormones. Initially approved for the treatment of type-II diabetes, it has shown significant effectiveness in reducing body weight, leading to growing off-label use for obesity management.

 

Lilly, Cipla to expand tirzepatide reach with Yurpeak

 

Eli Lilly and Cipla have entered into an agreement to distribute and promote tirzepatide in India under a new brand name, Yurpeak. The collaboration aims to expand access to the drug beyond major urban centres where Lilly already operates.

 

Under the partnership, Cipla will oversee the distribution and marketing of Yurpeak, while Lilly will continue to manufacture and supply the product. Yurpeak will be priced the same as Lilly’s Mounjaro, which debuted in India in March 2025. The agreement is designed to extend the reach of tirzepatide across both urban and semi-urban markets.

 

Novo Nordisk secures approval for Ozempic in India

 

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted Danish pharmaceutical major Novo Nordisk approval to market its diabetes drug Ozempic in India. According to the CDSCO website, authorisation for the injectable, semaglutide-based treatment was issued on September 26. Although a launch date has not been announced, the product is expected to enter the market shortly. Industry experts estimate India’s anti-obesity drug market at around ₹752 crore, with semaglutide products contributing approximately ₹426 crore.

 

Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director of Novo Nordisk India, said, “With Ozempic’s launch, the company would complete its semaglutide portfolio in the country, providing a range of treatments.”

 

Ozempic's rising demand

 

Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist used for treating type-II diabetes. The drug has seen widespread international demand owing to its effectiveness in addressing obesity and other weight-management challenges.

 

High prices limit access to obesity drugs

 

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is priced between ₹14,000 and ₹17,500 per month in India, depending on dosage strength. The company earlier noted that India has about 100 million people living with diabetes and obesity each.