Novo Nordisk A/S has cut the prices its weight-loss drug Wegovy by up to 37% in India, as the Danish drugmaker looks to hold its own against Eli Lilly & Co.’s Mounjaro in a country that’s home to the third largest obesity population in the world.
The monthly price for Wegovy’s highest dose of 2.4 mg will now cost ₹16,400, compared with its earlier price of ₹24,389.06, according to the document that Novo Nordisk sent to its distributors in India. Reuters has seen a copy of the document. Its lowest dose of 0.25 mg will sell at ₹10,850 for a monthly pack, compared with ₹16,260.94 earlier.
The price cut includes the impact of GST 2.0.
“We have made sure to listen to our patient and doctor communities and take active measures for the benefit of people at large,” said Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director at Novo Nordisk India.
Wegovy vs Mounjaro
Wegovy entered India in June and is playing catch-up to Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, whose sales have doubled within months of its launch in March.
Both weight-loss drugs are part of a class of treatments called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which promote a longer-lasting feeling of fullness and are prescribed for obesity and diabetes. The price cut comes days after Mounjaro became India’s top-selling weight-loss drug by value in October.
“This (price cut) could also be because generics are also entering the market in 2026, so a lower price will help Novo compete better,” Systematix Institutional Equities analyst Vishal Manchanda said, noting how Mounjaro is “doing better” than Wegovy in India. “So, this might be a move to be able to sell more.”
Wegovy’s active pharmaceutical ingredient semaglutide goes off patent in India in March 2026, paving the way for generic drugmakers to enter the market.
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Weight-loss drugs in India
India is turning out to be a key battleground for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly as they compete fiercely for a bigger share of the global market for weight-loss drugs estimated at $150 billion annually by the end of the decade.
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Such is the importance of the market that both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have joined hands with local pharma firms Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Cipla Ltd., respectively, to market Wegovy and Mounjaro under local brand names but at the same cost. The move, according to experts, will help widen the distribution of these weight-loss drugs in India.