Semaglutide prices crash up to 90% as 15+ generics launch in two days

Off-patent GLP-1 therapy drives 70-90% price drop with generics flooding in

India’s ₹1,446 crore glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) agonist market is set to get a shot in the arm, with at least 16 generic versions of the weight-loss and diabetes drug semaglutide launched within two days of the molecule losing patent protection.

 

With more than seven major drugmakers launching semaglutide generics on Saturday and others in the pipeline, prices have dropped 70–90 per cent from innovator brands.

 

GLP-1 agonists regulate blood sugar, increase satiety, and slow gastric emptying, aiding weight loss and improving glucose control in patients with Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

 

A once-weekly injectable, semaglutide has been sold in India as Wegovy for weight management (₹10,850–16,400 per month) and Ozempic for diabetes (₹8,800–11,175 per month) until now.

 

New generic launches by companies such as Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Alkem Laboratories have slashed monthly costs to starting prices of ₹1,300 and ₹1,800, respectively — an 85% and 79% drop from innovator products.

 

The new offerings span delivery systems, including reusable pens, dose-specific vials, and oral tablets. Only three players — Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Zydus Lifesciences, and Alkem — have introduced generics for both diabetes and weight management.

 

Sun Pharma launched Noveltreat (weight management) across five dosage forms, priced at ₹3,600–8,000 per month, and Sematrinity (diabetes) in two forms at ₹3,000–5,200 per month.

 

Zydus has launched pen and reusable pen versions at an average monthly cost of ₹2,200, the company said in a regulatory filing.

 

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) and USV have introduced injectable pen versions for diabetes only, both priced at ₹4,200 per month. Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals has launched an oral semaglutide pill at ₹149 per tablet along with injectables, priced at ₹3,999 per month. 

 

Next dose of generics

 

Several drugmakers are preparing to launch generic semaglutide in the coming weeks as competition intensifies in India’s diabetes and obesity market.

 

Mankind Pharma is expected to launch its version this month. Lupin is also set to enter soon, having signed a co-marketing agreement with Zydus.

 

Officials said DRL is awaiting approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to manufacture and market a semaglutide generic for weight management in the coming months.

 

“This is one of many launches we plan this year in the GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy space,” DRL Chief Executive Officer Erez Israeli said at a press conference on Saturday.

 

Another pharmaceutical executive said companies — including early entrants — are likely to build full portfolios in India and other emerging markets, with the therapy representing an almost $2 billion global opportunity.

 

With 101 million people living with diabetes and another 136 million in the prediabetic segment, India is fast emerging as a key market for GLP-1 agonist therapies.

 

The country has the second-highest number of people with Type 2 diabetes after China, alongside rising obesity rates, according to World Health Organization estimates.

 

New launches in the injectable GLP-1 segment, including tirzepatide and semaglutide, have driven a 177 per cent rise in sales over the past year on a moving annual turnover basis — from ₹571 crore in February 2025 to ₹1,446 crore in February 2026.