Key Points:
Novo Nordisk began the sale of weight-reducing medicine Wegovy in India between ₹17,345 and ₹26,015 per month depending on dosages.
The company wants Indian revenues of ₹8,600 crore within 5 to 7 years prior to the availability of the patent in 2026.
Key Background:
1. Launch Date and Product Details
Novo Nordisk introduced Wegovy in India on June 24, 2025, taking its highly successful weight-management medicine to a nation struggling with increasing obesity. The medication, which is a derivative of semaglutide, is given weekly as doses in strengths of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg in the form of injections in dosages. Tiered dosing system facilitates incremental dose escalation, depending on physician’s prescription and patient tolerance. Indian pharmacies’ stock would be exhausted by the end of June.
2. Pricing Structure
The price is low enough for the international markets but low enough for India. Each of the three lower doses retails at ₹4,366 per dose. Once a month, the initial dose can be obtained for ₹17,345. The 1.7 mg dose can be obtained for ₹24,280 a month, and the bigger 2.4 mg dose for ₹26,015 a month. The positioning positions Wegovy in a premium category but still within the reach of health-focused urban consumers.
3. Competitive Landscape
Novo Nordisk is vying with Eli Lilly, whose Mounjaro (tirzepatide), another GLP-1 receptor agonist, has been launched in the first half of this year. Both rivals are fiercely competing in India’s underpenetrated yet fast-growing medical weight management market. Novo Nordisk rushed the launch in India to gain a strategic head start and emerge as the market leader before generic threat.
4. Obesity Epidemic in India
Based on nation-level health statistics, more than 250 million Indians or approximately 29% of the population are obese. Being obese directly links to life diseases of all kinds such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The launch of new pharmacological drugs such as Wegovy is a lifesaver for those who have not responded to traditional diet and exercise-induced treatment.
5. Business Strategy and Forecast
Novo Nordisk is optimistic of the market potential. The company anticipates ₹8,600 crore worth of annual revenue from Wegovy within five to seven years’ time. It also anticipates benefiting from its existing customer base in India’s high-recall and high-confidence diabetes care market for its insulin business as well as oral semaglutide drug Rybelsus.
6. Patent Expiry and Future Outlook
Although the launch of Wegovy is a milestone, time does not wait for anyone. Semaglutide’s Indian patent expires in March 2026. Soon enough, local pharma giants such as Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s, Sun Pharma, and others will be launching low-price generics in the market. Novo Nordisk has to ride its first-mover reputation to establish patients’ confidence and build a robust market following before competition gets fierce.
