Big Pharma Faceoff: Wegovy To Join Mounjaro In India's Booming Weight Loss Drug Market
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While both drugs belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, Mounjaro has a dual mechanism (GIP and GLP-1), which clinical trials suggest may provide superior weight loss outcomes
Just four months after Eli Lilly launched its blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro in India, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk is gearing up to roll out Wegovy on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle in India's booming obesity drug market.
Mounjaro, launched in March 2025, has already seen a wave of interest from both doctors and patients. The drug has clocked sales worth Rs 24 crore within three months, with consumption tripling over the weeks. Novo Nordisk, sensing Mounjaro's runaway momentum, is believed to have fast-tracked the launch of Wegovy in India. The injectable drug, which will start losing its patent starting in 2026, is now set for its debut on Tuesday.
'India represents a potentially massive structural growth opportunity for GLP-1 drugs, but current penetration remains minimal. Eli Lilly has taken the lead by launching Mounjaro in India—one of the most successful product launches in the Indian market so far," said Vishal Manchanda, a pharma analyst at the financial services firm Systematix.
'Novo Nordisk is aware that its GLP-1 drug, semaglutide (Wegovy), will lose patent protection in India within the next few quarters. The company is now racing against time to stay ahead of the generic competition expected to flood the market by 2026," he said, adding that to do so, Novo may have fast-tracked the launch of its semaglutide-based brands—Ozempic and Wegovy—to gain an early mover advantage over generics and to effectively compete with Mounjaro.
Wegovy's pricing strategy is still under wraps, but it is expected to be competitive, especially with generic versions of semaglutide looming.
According to pharma research consultancy, Pharmatrac, a dose of Wegovy may cost slightly less than Mounjaro. Its estimates show that while Wegovy may cost around Rs 14,000 per month, Mounjaro currently costs around Rs 17,000 per month.
'With the Wegovy launch, there may be some cannibalisation that may happen from the semaglutide oral tablets sold under the brand name Rybelsus. But Wegovy may arrest the loss of semaglutide patients that may be happening to Mounjaro," Sheetal Sapale, vice-president (commercial), Pharmatrac, told News18. 'Mounjaro and Wegovy will collectively raise the awareness and penetration of anti-obesity injectable drugs in the market."
What's the difference between the two drugs?
The brand name Mounjaro is a drug called Trirzepetide, whereas the brand Wegovy is a drug called Semaglutide. While both drugs belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, Mounjaro has a dual mechanism (GIP and GLP-1), which clinical trials suggest may provide superior weight loss outcomes.
Comparing the two injectable drugs, while Mounjaro begins with a dosing of 2.5 mg once a week injection, the starting dose for Wegovy is 0.25 mg. After four weeks, doctors generally upgrade Mounjaro's dose to 5 mg per week, and Wegovy's dose is upgraded every four weeks until reaching the maintenance dose of 1.7 mg or 2.4 weekly dose.
The oral tablets of semaglutide are already sold by Novo Nordisk in India under the brand name Rybelsus. According to the industry estimates, there are approximately 32,000 patients on Rybelsus currently who can directly shift to the drug's injectable form, Wegovy.
According to Dr Anoop Misra, a renowned endocrinologist, 'Mounjaro (tirzepatide) generally outperforms Wegovy (semaglutide) for weight loss, achieving up to about 15-20 body weight reduction (due to its dual GLP-1 and GIP action) compared to Wegovy's 14-17 per cent in trials."
However, Misra said, 'Wegovy is FDA-approved for chronic weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction, with broader access for non-diabetic weight loss and adolescent use, while Mounjaro is primarily approved for diabetes (used off-label for weight loss)."
Hence, Misra, who is the chairman at Fortis C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, said, 'I would use these similar medicines depending on patient profile, including complications, cost and availability. Both weekly injections have similar gastrointestinal side effects."
Experts believe the market will heat up even more once Wegovy or semaglutide loses its patent. With semaglutide's Indian patent set to expire in 2026, companies like Dr Reddy's, Cipla, and Biocon are preparing for a generic onslaught that could bring prices down by nearly 90 per cent.
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First Published:
June 24, 2025, 10:12 IST
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