Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk officially launched its flagship obesity treatment drug, Wegovy, in India, pricing the weight-loss injection at ₹17,345 per month for lower doses.
Published Jun 25, 2025 | 9:41 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 25, 2025 | 9:41 AM
Wegovy.
Synopsis: Novo Nordisk officially launched its flagship obesity treatment drug, Wegovy, in India, three months after Eli Lilly began marketing Mounjaro. Novo Nordisk’s decision to launch Wegovy in India follows extensive clinical trials conducted on over 3,000 Indian patients.
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk officially launched its flagship obesity treatment drug, Wegovy, in India on Tuesday, 24 June, pricing the weight-loss injection at ₹17,345 per month for lower doses as it enters direct competition with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro in the world’s most populous nation.
The launch comes three months after Eli Lilly began marketing Mounjaro in India and marks Novo Nordisk’s entry into a market with over 1.4 billion people, where obesity and diabetes rates are steadily climbing.
Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya announced that Wegovy is already under distribution and expected to reach pharmacies by the end of the month.
Wegovy will be available in five dose strengths across India. The 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg versions are priced at ₹17,345 per month (approximately ₹4,366 weekly), while higher doses cost significantly more — ₹24,280 monthly for the 1.7 mg dose and ₹26,015 for the highest 2.4 mg dose.
Industry analysts describe this pricing as “a little aggressive,” particularly given that semaglutide, Wegovy’s active ingredient, is set to go off patent next year in India.
The pricing puts Wegovy in direct competition with Mounjaro, which is priced at ₹3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and ₹4,375 for a five mg vial for its lowest doses.
Novo Nordisk’s decision to launch Wegovy in India follows extensive clinical trials conducted on over 3,000 Indian patients.
According to Shrotriya, approximately one in three patients on Wegovy achieved weight loss of 20 percent or more, with the average patient losing about 15 percent of their body weight over 68 weeks.
However, Wegovy faces stiff competition from Mounjaro, which has demonstrated superior weight loss results in global trials — up to 15.3 percent at 12 months compared to 8.3 percent for Ozempic (another semaglutide-based drug).
Mounjaro has shown an average weight loss of nearly 23 percent when combined with a healthy diet and exercise, significantly higher than Wegovy’s 15 percent.
The launch addresses a significant health challenge in India, where over 40 percent of adults are classified as overweight or obese. The NHFS-5 conducted between 2019 and 2021 showed that 24 percent of women and nearly 23 percent of men aged 15 to 49 were either overweight or obese, representing an increase from 20.6 percent of women and 19 percent of men in 2015-2016.
Originally scheduled for a 2026 release, Novo Nordisk accelerated Wegovy’s Indian debut to 2025 in response to intense competition, particularly from Eli Lilly’s early market entry with Mounjaro in March 2025.
Sales data shows that Mounjaro experienced a 60 percent jump between April and May, according to Pharmtrac.
Wegovy contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drugs Ozempic and Rybelsus. The drug works by mimicking GLP-1, a natural hormone that signals the brain when you’re full, helping reduce appetite and slow digestion.
This mechanism makes people feel fuller for longer periods, leading to reduced food intake and subsequent weight loss.
The once-weekly injection is approved for chronic weight management in adults who are obese or overweight with at least one weight-related health condition.
It’s also approved to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death in adults with cardiovascular disease who are obese or overweight.
Both Wegovy and Mounjaro belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class of therapies, which have seen skyrocketing global demand in recent years, leading to supply shortages in countries like the United States. However, Novo Nordisk stated it does not anticipate supply constraints in India.
The competitive pressure is expected to intensify significantly once generic versions enter the market. Major Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Sun Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s, and Lupin are racing to produce cheaper copies of Wegovy. The drug’s price can correct 60 percent to 90 percent once generics become available.
Novo Nordisk has already established a presence in India’s diabetes market with oral semaglutide (Rybelsus), launched in 2022, which has been well-received by Indian patients and physicians.
The launch comes at a critical time for Novo Nordisk, which recently saw its CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen ousted over concerns about losing first-mover advantage in the highly competitive GLP-1 market. The company has yet to name a replacement.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
