Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk has brought in its weightloss drug Wegovy (injectable semaglutide) at an “India-centric” price, stirring up the obesity drugs segment in the country.

The colour-coded product comes in a four-dose pen-like device, in five different strengths, allowing a person with obesity and/or Type II diabetes (BMI over 30 / or BMI over 27 with comorbidities) to administer the same at home, said Vikrant Shrotriya, Corporate Vice President and Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India.

The once-a-week injectable is priced at ₹17,345 a month for lower strengths starting at 0.25 mg, going up to ₹26,015 for the higher strength of 2.4 mg – and the launch comes barely three months after competitor Eli Lilly launched Mounjaro (tirzepatide), its once-a-week injectable that reduced food intake and body weight.

$29-b product

Novo’s semaglutide, the active ingredient in injectables Wegovy (for weightloss), Ozempic (Type II diabetes) and oral drug Rybelsus (Type II diabetes) is a $29 billion product, globally. But a key patent on semaglutide expires early 2026, and several domestic drugmakers including Cipla, Lupin, Mankind Pharma and Glenmark, wait in the wings to launch their version of the product. In fact, Novo Nordisk is locked in a patent infringement battle with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and OneSource Specialty Pharma, in India.  (A patent keeps competition from making similar versions of an innovative product, until the legal period of protection expires.)   

“We will have pole position even in the space of obesity,” Shrotriya told businessline, drawing parallels with the competitive landscape for its diabetes / insulin products. About 254 million people are estimated to have generalized obesity in India, and generics will play their part, he said, on generic competition, post patent expiry. Without commenting on the ongoing litigation, he said, “we are very happy that innovation is protected in India.” This would help domestic companies take their battles into a world arena, if they have an innovative product, he added.

Injectable semaglutide, sometimes called the “skinny jab” or “fat shot”, hit headlines as high-profile personalities from talkshows to tinsel town took the weightloss drug, and went public on its advantages. The increased demand had constrained global supplies. Supplies for India are being imported from Denmark, Shrotriya said.

Side effects

About 3,500 people in India participated in trials on the product, the MD said. This class of drugs - GLP-1 receptor agonist — works similar to the GLP-1 (a natural hormone in the body), increasing insulin created in response to food. Some listed side-effects include vomiting and diarrhoea, besides caution to those with thyroid issues. Recently, global regulators red-flagged the risk of vision loss.  “Our pharmacovigilance is very active,” Shrotriya said on reporting adverse events.

Urging people to take the product only on a doctor’s advice, he said, the product had been approved by regulators after assessing its risk-benefit profile.  

Highlights
  • Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy: Priced at ₹17,345 per month (0.25 mg; 0.5 mg and 1 mg) or ₹4,336 per dose;
  • Higher strengths priced at ₹24,280 (1.7 mg) and ₹26,015 (2.4 mg).
  • Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro priced at ₹3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and ₹4,375 for a 5 mg vial.
  • Novo’s oral semaglutide costs about ₹10,000 per month.  

Published on June 24, 2025