Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy prices by 37% to counter Lilly’s Mounjaro
The starting dose of 0.25 mg will now cost Rs 2,712 per week, down from Rs 4,336 earlier, with the new prices effective across India.
- Nov 11, 2025,
- Updated Nov 11, 2025 9:11 PM IST
Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk has reduced the price of its blockbuster anti-obesity drug Wegovy by up to 37 per cent across all dose strengths in India, aiming to make the treatment more accessible for people living with obesity and overweight.
The starting dose of 0.25 mg will now cost ₹2,712 per week, down from ₹4,336 earlier, with the new prices effective across India.
Launched in June 2025, Wegovy (semaglutide) marked Novo Nordisk’s entry into the chronic weight management segment in India. The once-weekly injectable, available in five strengths through the FlexTouch delivery device, is indicated for both weight management and reduction of cardiovascular risk.
“Ever since the launch of this chronic weight management medication earlier this year, we have worked towards making it accessible to the maximum number of people living with overweight or obesity in India,” said Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India.
“Obesity is a serious concern for India, and this price revision reflects our commitment to providing treatment that is effective, safe, convenient, and sustainable in daily life,” he added.
The ICMR–INDIAB study estimates that 254 million Indians have generalised obesity and 351 million have abdominal obesity. According to NFHS-5, 24 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to more than 200 health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
The economic impact of obesity is also expected to rise sharply. The World Obesity Federation projects a tenfold increase in India’s obesity-related healthcare costs by 2060, compared to 2030.
Doctors and analysts have said that the development will make the treatment more affordable for patients who could not earlier afford it. “Obesity is a chronic condition that requires sustained management, often beyond lifestyle changes alone. Drugs like semaglutide have shown meaningful benefits in weight reduction and improvement of metabolic parameters, but affordability has been a major barrier in India. This price correction will enable a wider section of patients, especially in urban middle-income groups, to afford it,” Dr. Anoop Misra, Chairman of Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences and Director of the National Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (NDOC), said.
Until recently, clinical management was limited to diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery. The entry of novel drugs such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has opened a new medical treatment category in a country witnessing a steady rise in lifestyle diseases.
Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, another once-weekly injectable approved for both diabetes and obesity, targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. It entered the market in March 2025 and is priced between ₹14,000 and ₹17,500 per month, with 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses priced at ₹3,500 and ₹4,375 per injection, respectively.
According to PharmaTrac data, Mounjaro has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing products in the Indian pharmaceutical market, generating nearly ₹100 crore in turnover in October 2025 alone. The brand, prescribed for both diabetes and obesity, has recorded cumulative revenue of ₹333 crore within eight months of launch, surpassing several established chronic-care therapies.
India’s anti-obesity drug market, currently valued at ₹3,000–3,500 crore, is projected to expand nearly eightfold to ₹25,000 crore by 2030, according to estimates by IMARC.
Industry analysts say the move could reshape pricing dynamics in India’s emerging obesity treatment segment, where competition between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly is intensifying.
Salil Kallianpur, pharma industry analyst, said, “Novo’s 37 per cent price cut is a good move, not desperate but deliberate. It is a pre-emptive response to Eli Lilly’s momentum and the upcoming generic wave. In the short term, it helps Novo stay relevant and build volume; in the long term, it buys time.”
He added, “Lilly currently has the upper hand with a stronger molecule (tirzepatide), a more powerful local partner in Cipla, and first-mover clinical trust. The real test for Novo will come when semaglutide faces loss of exclusivity. In that sense, this price action is not a retreat but a signal that the battle for India’s obesity market has just begun.”
The price reduction, experts further said, could lift overall consumption but may not immediately shift patient preference away from Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro.
“Consumption may increase, but I do not expect a major shift from Mounjaro,” said Sheetal Sapale, Vice President, Commercial at Pharmarack Technologies. “Mounjaro has built strong brand visibility, driven partly by celebrity endorsements. Many patients were already importing it even before its official launch in India.”
She added that patient behaviour and product format both influence choice. “Mounjaro has a strong pull factor, with patients often asking for it by name, whereas doctors tend to prescribe Wegovy when they decide the therapy,” Sapale said. “Mounjaro also offers dosing flexibility with a single-dose injection as well as a prefilled syringe containing four doses, while Wegovy is available only in a four-dose prefilled syringe. That limits the option for patients who want to try the medicine before committing to a full pack,” she said.
Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk has reduced the price of its blockbuster anti-obesity drug Wegovy by up to 37 per cent across all dose strengths in India, aiming to make the treatment more accessible for people living with obesity and overweight.
The starting dose of 0.25 mg will now cost ₹2,712 per week, down from ₹4,336 earlier, with the new prices effective across India.
Launched in June 2025, Wegovy (semaglutide) marked Novo Nordisk’s entry into the chronic weight management segment in India. The once-weekly injectable, available in five strengths through the FlexTouch delivery device, is indicated for both weight management and reduction of cardiovascular risk.
“Ever since the launch of this chronic weight management medication earlier this year, we have worked towards making it accessible to the maximum number of people living with overweight or obesity in India,” said Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India.
“Obesity is a serious concern for India, and this price revision reflects our commitment to providing treatment that is effective, safe, convenient, and sustainable in daily life,” he added.
The ICMR–INDIAB study estimates that 254 million Indians have generalised obesity and 351 million have abdominal obesity. According to NFHS-5, 24 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to more than 200 health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
The economic impact of obesity is also expected to rise sharply. The World Obesity Federation projects a tenfold increase in India’s obesity-related healthcare costs by 2060, compared to 2030.
Doctors and analysts have said that the development will make the treatment more affordable for patients who could not earlier afford it. “Obesity is a chronic condition that requires sustained management, often beyond lifestyle changes alone. Drugs like semaglutide have shown meaningful benefits in weight reduction and improvement of metabolic parameters, but affordability has been a major barrier in India. This price correction will enable a wider section of patients, especially in urban middle-income groups, to afford it,” Dr. Anoop Misra, Chairman of Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences and Director of the National Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (NDOC), said.
Until recently, clinical management was limited to diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery. The entry of novel drugs such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has opened a new medical treatment category in a country witnessing a steady rise in lifestyle diseases.
Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, another once-weekly injectable approved for both diabetes and obesity, targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. It entered the market in March 2025 and is priced between ₹14,000 and ₹17,500 per month, with 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses priced at ₹3,500 and ₹4,375 per injection, respectively.
According to PharmaTrac data, Mounjaro has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing products in the Indian pharmaceutical market, generating nearly ₹100 crore in turnover in October 2025 alone. The brand, prescribed for both diabetes and obesity, has recorded cumulative revenue of ₹333 crore within eight months of launch, surpassing several established chronic-care therapies.
India’s anti-obesity drug market, currently valued at ₹3,000–3,500 crore, is projected to expand nearly eightfold to ₹25,000 crore by 2030, according to estimates by IMARC.
Industry analysts say the move could reshape pricing dynamics in India’s emerging obesity treatment segment, where competition between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly is intensifying.
Salil Kallianpur, pharma industry analyst, said, “Novo’s 37 per cent price cut is a good move, not desperate but deliberate. It is a pre-emptive response to Eli Lilly’s momentum and the upcoming generic wave. In the short term, it helps Novo stay relevant and build volume; in the long term, it buys time.”
He added, “Lilly currently has the upper hand with a stronger molecule (tirzepatide), a more powerful local partner in Cipla, and first-mover clinical trust. The real test for Novo will come when semaglutide faces loss of exclusivity. In that sense, this price action is not a retreat but a signal that the battle for India’s obesity market has just begun.”
The price reduction, experts further said, could lift overall consumption but may not immediately shift patient preference away from Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro.
“Consumption may increase, but I do not expect a major shift from Mounjaro,” said Sheetal Sapale, Vice President, Commercial at Pharmarack Technologies. “Mounjaro has built strong brand visibility, driven partly by celebrity endorsements. Many patients were already importing it even before its official launch in India.”
She added that patient behaviour and product format both influence choice. “Mounjaro has a strong pull factor, with patients often asking for it by name, whereas doctors tend to prescribe Wegovy when they decide the therapy,” Sapale said. “Mounjaro also offers dosing flexibility with a single-dose injection as well as a prefilled syringe containing four doses, while Wegovy is available only in a four-dose prefilled syringe. That limits the option for patients who want to try the medicine before committing to a full pack,” she said.