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Time of India
8 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Weight-loss drug bulks up sales as patients upgrade dosage
Eli Lilly's weight-loss and diabetes drug, Mounjaro, has rapidly gained popularity in India, achieving Rs 24 crore in sales within three months. Young adults in their 30s and 40s are showing significant interest, with many upgrading to higher doses. While experts acknowledge its potential in addressing obesity, they caution about long-term efficacy, side effects, and affordability for the Indian population. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: Sales of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly 's blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drug, have touched Rs 24 crore within three months of its India launch, making it one of the most popular and fastest adopted new drugs in the country, with many people in their thirties and early forties showing sales grew 60% month on month to Rs 12.60 crore last month from Rs 7.87 crore in April, with the 5 mg injections accounting for Rs 7.53 crore—up 145% from Rs 3.08 crore in the previous month, data from industry tracker PharmaTrac showed. This indicates that patients are upgrading to higher doses after taking an initial base dose of 2.5 mg, experts doctors recommend a dose escalation to 5 mg after one month of starting the medication, depending on side effects. Mounjaro is currently available in 2.5 mg and 5 mg injections in India. Sales of 2.5 mg injections rose to Rs 5.08 crore in May from Rs 4.80 crore in April and Rs 1.42 crore in March, when it was launched, according to PharmaTrac data.'Our data indicates patients upgrading to higher dose after four weeks as well as new patients onboarding on lower dose,' said Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, at endocrinologists said many people in their 30s and early 40s are reaching out to doctors to check if they could use the medication to lose weight.'There are many young people asking me if they could use the drug,' said Vyankatesh Shivane, diabetology and endocrinology consultant at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai. He said Indian patients are responding well to tirzepatide (Mounjaro).'Clinical trials conducted previously on Indian obese diabetes patients have shown good weight loss benefits at more than 20% as well as good sugar control,' Shivane said. 'Both semaglutide (Novo Nordisk's Wegovy) and tirzepatide have completed cardiovascular safety trials and have shown added benefits of reduction of cardiovascular events in Type 2 diabetes patients,' he drugmaker Novo Nordisk is expected to launch its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in India this year. Doctors said medications like Mounjaro and Wegovy could prove an actionable remedy in a country of 80 million obese they cautioned that it would take four to six months to assess their effect on a larger Indian population regarding actual weight loss efficacy, potential weight regain after stopping the medication, and side to Shivane, clinical trails have shown weight regain of 5-7% once the drug is stopped. 'That is where patients will need counselling in order to adopt a healthier lifestyle including healthy dietary habits and regular exercise,' he Kumar Sinha, consultant physician at Mumbai-based WeCare Wellness, said, 'The molecule is good. Global studies suggest there are patients who have benefitted from it, but there are also those who have dropped out due to side effects that are mostly gastrointestinal in nature.' Commonly reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain. Sinha said it will take 3-4 months to tell how the drug is working on Indian patients. 'One also has to look at the affordability issue,' he added. In India, Mounjaro is priced at Rs 3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and Rs 4,375 for a 5 mg vial, which translates to Rs 14,000-17,500 per month, depending on the weekly dose. This means a six month treatment could cost about Rs 1 to a recent study published in leading medical journal Lancet, 70% of India's urban population is classified as obese, or overweight.'Obesity is like a pandemic in India and diabetes is very common and it is one of the useful drugs,' Anurag Lila, visiting consultant endocrinologist at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai, told ET in a recent interaction.
Economic Times
8 hours ago
- Health
- Economic Times
Weight-loss drug bulks up sales as patients upgrade dosage
Eli Lilly's weight-loss and diabetes drug, Mounjaro, has rapidly gained popularity in India, achieving Rs 24 crore in sales within three months. Young adults in their 30s and 40s are showing significant interest, with many upgrading to higher doses. While experts acknowledge its potential in addressing obesity, they caution about long-term efficacy, side effects, and affordability for the Indian population. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: Sales of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly 's blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drug, have touched Rs 24 crore within three months of its India launch, making it one of the most popular and fastest adopted new drugs in the country, with many people in their thirties and early forties showing sales grew 60% month on month to Rs 12.60 crore last month from Rs 7.87 crore in April, with the 5 mg injections accounting for Rs 7.53 crore—up 145% from Rs 3.08 crore in the previous month, data from industry tracker PharmaTrac showed. This indicates that patients are upgrading to higher doses after taking an initial base dose of 2.5 mg, experts doctors recommend a dose escalation to 5 mg after one month of starting the medication, depending on side effects. Mounjaro is currently available in 2.5 mg and 5 mg injections in India. Sales of 2.5 mg injections rose to Rs 5.08 crore in May from Rs 4.80 crore in April and Rs 1.42 crore in March, when it was launched, according to PharmaTrac data.'Our data indicates patients upgrading to higher dose after four weeks as well as new patients onboarding on lower dose,' said Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, at endocrinologists said many people in their 30s and early 40s are reaching out to doctors to check if they could use the medication to lose weight.'There are many young people asking me if they could use the drug,' said Vyankatesh Shivane, diabetology and endocrinology consultant at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai. He said Indian patients are responding well to tirzepatide (Mounjaro).'Clinical trials conducted previously on Indian obese diabetes patients have shown good weight loss benefits at more than 20% as well as good sugar control,' Shivane said. 'Both semaglutide (Novo Nordisk's Wegovy) and tirzepatide have completed cardiovascular safety trials and have shown added benefits of reduction of cardiovascular events in Type 2 diabetes patients,' he drugmaker Novo Nordisk is expected to launch its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in India this year. Doctors said medications like Mounjaro and Wegovy could prove an actionable remedy in a country of 80 million obese they cautioned that it would take four to six months to assess their effect on a larger Indian population regarding actual weight loss efficacy, potential weight regain after stopping the medication, and side to Shivane, clinical trails have shown weight regain of 5-7% once the drug is stopped. 'That is where patients will need counselling in order to adopt a healthier lifestyle including healthy dietary habits and regular exercise,' he Kumar Sinha, consultant physician at Mumbai-based WeCare Wellness, said, 'The molecule is good. Global studies suggest there are patients who have benefitted from it, but there are also those who have dropped out due to side effects that are mostly gastrointestinal in nature.' Commonly reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain. Sinha said it will take 3-4 months to tell how the drug is working on Indian patients. 'One also has to look at the affordability issue,' he added. In India, Mounjaro is priced at Rs 3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and Rs 4,375 for a 5 mg vial, which translates to Rs 14,000-17,500 per month, depending on the weekly dose. This means a six month treatment could cost about Rs 1 to a recent study published in leading medical journal Lancet, 70% of India's urban population is classified as obese, or overweight.'Obesity is like a pandemic in India and diabetes is very common and it is one of the useful drugs,' Anurag Lila, visiting consultant endocrinologist at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai, told ET in a recent interaction.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Generic versions of key diabetic drug in market double in a month
In less than two months after diabetes drug Empagliflozin went off patent, Indian branded generic players have crowded the market with their versions of the product leading to a month-on-month doubling in the number of players and brands flooding the market in April. #Operation Sindoor Live Updates| From Sindoor to showdown? Track Indo-Pak conflict as it unfolds India hits Lahore's Air Defence Radars in proportionate response Pakistan tried to hit military targets in these 15 Indian cities, New Delhi thwarts strikes Nearly 147 brands of the drug and 37 companies are in the market now, up from 86 brands and 19 companies in March, according to data from industry tracker and market researcher PharmaTrac. Doctors said that an increasing number of anti-diabetic drugs going off patent-with Empagliflozin being the latest-is good for patients and medical practitioners as it makes anti diabetes drugs more affordable in India where cases of diabetes are rising. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Miss The Top Packaging Trends Of 2024, Enhnace Your Brand With The Latest Insights Packaging Machines | Search Ads Search Now Undo Empagliflozin-which was Boehringer Ingelheim's innovator drug sold under the brand name Jardiance-went off patent mid-March. It is used to improve glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes. Live Events "With almost 150 brands and 40 companies jumping in the Empagliflozin off patent opportunity and volume sales picking up steeply in the last two months, every player in the IPM (Indian pharmaceutical market) looks like geared up to make the most of this opportunity," said Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, PharmaTrac. "Most of the innovator molecules (used to treat Type 2 diabetes) in SGLT 2 (Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2) and DPP4 i (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors) have gone off patent... creating many affordable options available to eligible Indian masses through branded generics ," she added. Empagliflozin is an SGLT-2 inhibitor . Others in the same group include dapagliflozin-whose patent expired a couple years ago leading to nearly 200 generic brands coming into the market. Companies such as Alkem Laboratories , Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Mankind Pharma launched their versions of Empagliflozin, and slashed prices to about ₹5 per unit, which is 80-90% lower than the innovator's prices. "Ever since dapagliflozin has gone off patent, many more people have access to it has become cheaper. Empagliflozin is also similar to a good medicine for sugar, gives some protection to the heart and kidney too," said Dr David Chandy, director-endocrinology & diabetology at Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre. More such molecules going off patent increases the reach to larger populations. "Earlier when only the innovators had these molecules, maybe 2-5% of India's diabetic population could afford it, now the entire diabetic population can afford it," said Chandy. Empagliflozin is a ₹745 crore market today with plains contributing to almost 45% in terms of value as well as quantity. Empagliflozin plain and Empagliflozin plus Linagliptin contribute nearly 80% of this. "In the long-term, more and more affordable medication options are good for patients with the cases of diabetes spiralling in the country and doctors have more ammunition or options for treatment now compared to 5-10 years back," said Chandy. "What will be interesting in the diabetes scenario is that in the next six months, once semaglutide goes off patent, there will be a paradigm shift for diabetes treatment once it is available at a low price," he said.
Economic Times
07-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Mounjaro is now a heavyweight in weight-loss fight
Consumption of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight-loss drug, more than tripled within a month of its launch in India, according to data from industry tracker and market researcher PharmaTrac. ADVERTISEMENT According to the data, sales of Mounjaro 2.5 mg injections surged to '4.8 crore in April from '1.42 crore in March, when the drug was launched in the country. Doctors, however, are of the view that while popular weight-loss medications such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, which Novo Nordisk is expected to bring to India, may be a boon in a country of more than 80 million obese people, their efficacy remains to be seen for the initial four-six months in terms of actual weight-loss benefits to Indians, possible weight regain once stopped and whether there are any side effects. "These medications have become very popular in the west and there is a lot of hype around them, so many people in India have been waiting to try this out," said Dr Neeraj Tulara, general medicines and infectious diseases specialist at LH Hiranandani Hospital at Powai, Mumbai. "Globally, there are many people who have lost a good amount of weight and there are significant numbers who have also stopped using. So, it will take about six months to tell if there is significant benefit on Indian patients or once it is stopped there is weight regain." Besides, he said, "We have to see how patients tolerate the medication because the Indian profile is different compared to western patients." Dr Anurag Lila, visiting consultant endocrinologist at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai, said, "Obesity is like a pandemic in India and diabetes is very common and it is one of the useful drugs. It has been well marketed abroad before it has come to India. Thousands of prescriptions have been there and clinical trials are also done. It is a good and useful molecule, so people were waiting in India for a long time and people are using it."According to a recent study published in Lancet, 70% of India's urban population is classified as 'obese', or overweight. ADVERTISEMENT Aasim Maldar, consultant-endocrinologist and diabetologist at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital, said, "Tolerability level as of now to the drug is good but it will take at least four-six months to tell how beneficial it is and what is the extent of side effect on patients. The side effect profile, tolerance profile and also the affordability factor are things that have to be taken into consideration." In India, Mounjaro is priced at '3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and '4,375 for a 5 mg vial, which works out at '14,000-17,500 per month depending on the weekly dose. Doctors usually recommend a dose escalation to 5 mg after one month of starting the medication, depending on side effects. ADVERTISEMENT Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, PharmaTrac, said the initial tripling of sales may be an indicator of adherence to the once-a-week dosage schedule. "A few more months of tracking of these products will give a clear idea about the increasing acceptance of the product among the eligible Indian population," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Studies on the effect of the drug in India -done in a few hospitals-so far suggest that the most common side effect is constipation, said doctors. Other common side effects may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Currently, doctors are mostly prescribing Mounjaro to patients who are obese and have tried other means but not lost weight. ADVERTISEMENT Many have spoken about the affordability of the drug in the price sensitive Indian market, where a six month treatment could cost about '1 lakh. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
