With an eye on rivals, Novo Nordisk launches diabetes drug Ozempic in India

With Mounjaro gaining ground, launch comes just three months before Novo loses patent for semaglutide

Looking to expand its footprint in the booming glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) market, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has launched its semaglutide-based diabetes therapy Ozempic in India, pricing the entry 0.25 mg dose at Rs 2,200 per week just months ahead of the drug’s patent expiry in March next year.

 

The drugmaker push on affordability comes at a time when its competitor Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro continues to dominate the diabetes and obesity market, as it has become the highest selling drug in India for the last two months.

 

A once-a-week injectable GLP-1 agonist used to treat type 2 diabetes, Ozempic has found global demand for its benefits in patients with obesity or other weight management issues.

 

 

The drug will be available in three dosage forms: 0.25 milligram (mg), 0.5 mg and 1 mg.

 

The pre-filled pen, which consists of four doses of 0.25 mg injection required for initiation, costs Rs 8,800 per month (Rs 2,200 per week). The 0.5 mg per month costs Rs 10,170 (Rs 2,542.5 per week) and 1 mg costs Rs 11,175 (Rs 2,793.75 per week).

 

With this bracket, Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director at Novo Nordisk India, said Ozempic will now be available at an insulin price zone in India.

 

“The whole logic of launching an innovation in India is not just a launch, but also accessibility so that people are able to buy it,” Shrotriya told Business Standard in an exclusive interaction.

 

Heating competition

 

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been vying for a larger pie of the Indian anti-obesity market worth Rs 1,109 crore, even as demand for weight-loss drugs increases in a country with the third-highest population of people living with obesity.

 

Launched in March this year, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has already raked in Rs 496 crore in its seven-month run. The drug had a first-mover advantage, with Mounjaro transitioning from vials to injectable pens within the first four months of its launch.

 

To counter this, Novo launched Wegovy in June 2025 for obesity management. However, the drug has seen comparatively slow uptake, with revenues reaching Rs 50 crore till November, which led to Novo announcing a 30 to 35 per cent price cut for Wegovy across all dosage forms.

 

“The price cuts led to Wegovy’s consumption seeing a 70 per cent rise in just 15 days, lifting Wegovy’s market share from 9 per cent in October to 14 per cent in November,” Sheetal Sapale, vice-president (commercial) at market research firm Pharmarack, said.

 

Experts believe that the semaglutide patent expiry next year could unleash a wave of generic versions from Indian drugmakers, with prices expected to be cut further by at least 80 per cent.

 

Firms such as Dr Reddy’s (DRL), Cipla, Mankind and Sun Pharma are already looking to grab a share of India’s Rs 427 crore semaglutide market. “There are more than 14 anti-obesity drugs in the pipeline,” said Sapale.

 

The fight against generics has reached courts, with Novo pleading to stop firms from manufacturing and exporting their variant of semaglutide.

 

However, in its judgments this month, the Delhi High Court has allowed both DRL and Sun Pharma to manufacture generics, on the condition that they will not sell in India and export only to non-patent protected markets.

 

Ozempic entry introduces entire sema portfolio in India

 

With Ozempic’s introduction, Novo would complete its semaglutide portfolio in the country, providing a range of treatments. Apart from Ozempic, the company currently markets the only two officially available forms of semaglutide in India: Rybelsus (oral) and Wegovy (injectable).

 

The drugmaker also has a partnership with Emcure Pharma to exclusively distribute and market its weight loss drug under a separate brand name, Poviztra.

 

Commenting on supply issues, Shrotriya said that Novo is going to distribute and market the drug itself, with Ozempic expected to hit the markets from the day of its launch. “This is a full-scale launch for all three strengths, accounting for an unrestricted supply. We are making sure that we are strong enough to supply across India,” he added.

 

An industry executive told Business Standard that India is fast becoming an emerging hotspot for weight-loss treatments, with the second highest population living with type 2 diabetes after China, alongside rapidly increasing obesity rates.

 

According to the World Health Organisation’s 2023-24 estimates, India has around 101 million people living with diabetes, with another 136 million individuals with pre-diabetes. Studies also indicate that the country has 254 million people with generalised obesity and 351 million with abdominal obesity.

 

However, doctors add that Ozempic and Mounjaro have been approved just for treatment of type 2 diabetes, with only diabetic patients allowed to be prescribed the drug.