Cipla Ltd. has signed a deal with Eli Lilly & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. to market the blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro under a new brand name—Yurpeak.
As part of the agreement, the US-based drugmaker will manufacture and supply the tirzepatide molecule to Cipla, which then will distribute and promote it as Yurpeak at the same price as Mounjaro, according to an exchange filing on Thursday (23 October 2025).
If that’s the case, why partner with Cipla under a new brand name? The idea seems to be market access that India’s third largest pharma maker has.
Wider Distribution Network
Eli Lilly’s distribution network in India is limited to Tier-I cities. With Cipla, that expands to the semi-urban and rural—where diabetes and obesity is equally prevalent.
According to National Family Health Survey, one out of four adults in India are classified as overweight. An estimated 7.7 crore adults are suffering from Type 2 diabetes and nearly 2.5 crore are pre-diabetics, according to the World Health Organization.
The agreement with Cipla “furthers Lilly’s commitment to expanding access to innovative treatments for chronic conditions,” Winselow Tucker, president and general manager at Eli Lilly India, said in the filing. “Our mission…is to accelerate the introduction of innovative medicines and expand access to hard-to-reach communities.”
“With India facing a growing burden of Type 2 Diabetes and obesity, broader availability of tirzepatide will ensure that more patients can benefit from this innovative therapy.”
Mounjaro-Yurpeak vs Ozempic-Wegovy
A second brand for the same molecule can help capture market share at a time when India’s market for obesity and diabetes is getting competitive.
The Mounjaro-Yurpeak strategy seems to a page out of Novo Nordisk Inc.’s playbook, which has already launched Ozempic and Wegovy in India.
While they share the active pharmaceutical ingredient semaglutide, Ozempic is approved only as a diabetes drug in India—with a doctor’s prescription. Wegovy in India is once-weekly injectable for weight loss at ₹17,345 to ₹26,015/month. The pricing for Ozempic isn’t out yet.
Generic Push With Commercial Flexibility
Eli Lilly may have maintained price parity between Mounjaro and Yurpeak—about ₹14,000-17,000 depending on the dosage—a second brand can help capture market share with a differentiated promotional strategy. The tie-up also pre-empts generic entry and defends market share.
Having a second brand via a local partner can give flexibility in operations (distribution, local manufacturing, marketing spend) without changing the “primary” brand launched by Eli Lilly.