The much-awaited weightloss and diabetes drug, Mounjaro from US-based Eli Lilly and Company will be available at local chemists in a few weeks, at an India-specific price.
Globally Mounjaro, and peers in this category, Ozempic/Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, are popular for their “weight-loss” features, and diabetologists say, patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes have been keen to access these drugs locally.
Priced at ₹3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and ₹4,375 for a 5 mg vial, a company spokesperson told businessline, the “India-specific pricing” reflected Lilly’s commitment to expanding access to innovative treatments in the country.
Mounjaro is a once-a-week, prescription-based medicine that reduces food intake, body weight, and decreases fat mass by regulating appetite and has been demonstrated to regulate lipid utilisation, a note from Lilly said. The drug activates both GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone receptors, it added.
India is home to the second largest population of people living with diabetes, about 100 million. And obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, linked to over 200 health complications, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, the note said.
“The dual burden of obesity and type 2 diabetes is rapidly emerging as a major public health challenge in India,” said Winselow Tucker, President and General Manager, Lilly India, adding that they were committed to working with the government to improve awareness, prevention and management of these diseases.
Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been taking their respective popular injectable brands, Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) and Ozempic/Wegovy (semaglutide), to more countries. The oral version of semaglutide (Novo Nordisk ) is available in India, an injectable version is awaited. Oral semaglutide costs a person living with diabetes about ₹10,000 a month.
India prices
On whether Mounjaro would be accessible to patients, Dr Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology with Zandra Healthcare, told businessline, the pricing was better than expected, given that it sells in West Asia at about ₹30,000-35,000 a vial, and in the US at about $700 to $1,080 (estimated ₹58,000-90,000).
Patients are set to benefit, he said, as some patents go off semaglutide in 2026. Several Indian companies “have cracked it”, leading to greater competition that will bring down prices, he explained. Indian drugmakers including Cipla, Lupin, Mankind Pharma and others have stated their intent to be in this segment. “Obesity is the mother of several disorders,” said Kovil, advocating health insurance coverage for the drug to have a greater impact on the disease. The drug is usually taken life-long, he said, as people tend to put on weight when they stop the drug. The red-flags for this category of drugs are for those with a family history of thyroid cancer, and pancreatitis, he said.
Two trials
Mounjaro is indicated along with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obesity) or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition. Mounjaro is also indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, it added.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) was evaluated in two robust global clinical development programs: the SURMOUNT - 1 trials for chronic weight management and the SURPASS trials for type 2 diabetes, the company said.
“In SURMOUNT-1, a study in 2,539 adults with obesity, or excess weight and weight-related medical problems not including diabetes, people taking Mounjaro as an adjunct to diet and exercise experienced substantial weight loss compared with placebo at 72 weeks. At the highest dose (15 mg), people taking Mounjaro lost on average 21.8 kg, while at the lowest dose (5 mg), people lost on average 15.4 kg (compared to 3.2 kg on placebo),” the company said.
In Phase 3 SURPASS program, efficacy was evaluated for Mounjaro 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg used alone or in combination with commonly prescribed diabetes medications, including metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas and insulin glargine. “Participants in the SURPASS program achieved average A1C reductions between 1.8 per cent and percent for Mounjaro 5 mg and between 1.7 percent and 2.4 per cent for both Mounjaro 10 mg and Mounjaro 15 mg over the period of 40 weeks. Overall, the program demonstrated that Mounjaro, whether used alone or with other diabetes medications, reduced A1C by up to 2.4 per cent,” the company added.
