With a ₹2,200-a-week price tag, Ozempic enters India as Novo Nordisk steps up its obesity bet

The launch comes close on the heels of Wegovy, Novo’s dedicated weight-loss injection, which entered the market in June.

India’s nascent anti-obesity drug market is heating up. Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro has taken an early lead since its March launch, becoming a top-selling drug by October. Novo faces additional competitive pressure next year, as semaglutide—the compound behind Ozempic and Wegovy—loses patent exclusivity in March 2026, paving the way for cheaper domestic generics.

Mounjaro is priced at ₹14,000 a month for a 2.5 mg starting dose, rising to ₹27,500 for the 15 mg dose. Wegovy, after a 37% price cut, starts at ₹10,850 a month and goes up to ₹16,400. For Ozempic, the 0.5 mg step-up dose is priced at ₹10,170 for a four-week pack, while the 1 mg maintenance dose costs ₹11,175.

“It was a very tough decision to bring Ozempic at this price, with a starting cost of ₹2,200 per week for the 0.25mg dose,” Novo Nordisk India managing director Vikrant Shrotriya said at the launch, adding that the company wants more people to benefit from the medicine at an affordable rate when prescribed by doctors in the fight against diabetes and obesity.

Mint spoke with Shrotriya to understand the company’s plans going ahead.

Edited excerpts:

Why launch Ozempic now, and how will it be different from Wegovy?

You know the kind of noise Ozempic has created worldwide. It is something we wanted to launch earlier, but we made the choice to launch oral semaglutide (Rybelsus) at that point of time. Then suddenly the demand for Ozempic soared so much that demand was more than the supply. As the supply normalized we thought of launching Ozempic because we wanted to make sure that we launch with continuous supply.

This is not a sudden decision. This is a very well thought through launch process, part of our portfolio strategy, for a flexible approach towards doctors and patients.

That is why I think it is not late, given that GLP-1 injectables have come into the Indian soil recently and we have more than 100 million people with obesity. It is also now that the World Health Organization has made it a part of the essential drug list.

I call it an epic launch because it strengthens doctors. When the brand is known to the doctors, it makes their job much easier to prescribe because the acceptability becomes much stronger.

Ozempic is indicated for type-2 diabetes, it is the first line of the treatment after diet and exercise for people with diabetes and most of them are obese, so overall they benefit together.

You announced a 37% price cut for Wegovy last month. How do you see this boosting sales?

I would say it's a strategy of response and responsibility. I don't think it is a marketing strategy, it's our response and responsibility to hear what doctors and patients say. We realized that we need to bring the innovation first and then we need to see that it is being prescribed. We have heard the patients, we heard what should be the right price and we would like to stay true to that.

So, I was very excited when the volume jumped. It's not a small volume jump. But also, a 37% cut at the top and the bottom line–that was a bold step, honestly.

We would like to be similarly responsible for Ozempic as well.

You launched Rybelsus, the oral semaglutide, in 2022. How have sales evolved since injectable Wegovy’s launch in June?

Rybelsus has continued to grow in a similar way like last year, except that last year it was alone. Now there is a comparison. The channels of distributions and, channels of access have changed. But you will always see that there are patients who will prefer oral tablets.

In India, with the given patient population of 100-135 million who are impaired glucose tolerant, I think the sky is the limit for accessibility.

I think coming up and going down is a short-term phenomenon. We are here for the long term, for the long haul, like the way we were in insulin. And I wish that more and more patients get the benefit of these injectable and oral drugs rather than them affecting each other.

Competition is stiff, with Mounjaro leading volumes and generics entering next year. How do you see Novo’s position, and do you expect to continue being a market leader in this landscape?

I would say that is the intent and purpose. I believe that our products are a very good fit for the un-met needs in India at this point of time. And between the competition and commitment, I would take the side of the commitment.

We are here with a commitment to treat obesity and diabetes like we have for 100 years. I wish and hope for 100 more years. We are not in an opportunistic game.

We launched the oral formulation four years back because India required it - we were the sixth country to launch the oral formulation. And that commitment is more important, that purpose, that intent and trust is more important for us than just being opportunistic in the market.

Is Novo aiming to be a leader in obesity as it is in diabetes?

Yes. It's a very declared ambition, and it's not only with the current pipeline. We would like to be a leader and continue to be a leader in obesity.

We have been the protein powerhouse for 100 years. We have seen generic competition in insulin, and still one out of two patients take Novo Nordisk insulin. Now, this is peptides, this is biologics, this is our DNA. This has shown the test of time.

We welcome any other player, but only if they come with a similar commitment and intent. And that is okay because the world requires everybody, not just one company.

You announced a partnership with Emcure Pharma to distribute Wegovy, as well as with Healthify for a patient program. Are you looking at other partnerships?

In the new age, digital economy, the thing we have learned is partnerships. Nobody is alone. It is an era of partnerships, collaboration, co-optation, you know, working together.

And we are very in for it because digital strong players are taking the help of many of the advancement in the digital economy and also reaching out to the patients in terms of hand-holding and support. We would like to partner with anybody who is ethical, who has got a standard of care, also the reach and who brings certain strengths which complement ours for better patient outcomes.