Novo Nordisk Insulin Pen Price in India: How Much Will Awiqli Once a Week Cost You? Check its variants

Novo Nordisk India on Thursday launched Awiqli (insulin icodec) in the country, making India one of the markets to offer the world’s first once-weekly basal insulin for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

The new therapy reduces the number of insulin injections from one a day to one a week, reducing the annual need from 365 injections to just 52, reports ANI. According to the company, Awiqli represents a major shift in diabetes care, aiming to change the way insulin therapy fits into patients’ daily lives, rather than offering only a small improvement over existing treatments.

Results from the ONWARDS-1 global clinical program showed that Awiqli produced greater reductions in HbA1c levels and improved time in range compared to once-daily insulin glargine U100. The study also found that a higher proportion of people with type 2 diabetes achieved HbA1c levels below 7% without experiencing hypoglycaemia, while improvements in Time in Range helped ensure more consistent blood glucose control throughout the day.

Awiqli Insulin Price in India

Speaking at the product launch in New Delhi, Novo Nordisk India CEO Vikrant Shrotriya said a weekly dose of 70 units of Awiqli insulin would cost, according to Reuters. ₹261 ($2.74). The insulin will reportedly be available in two variants: a 1ml (700 units) pre-filled pen at cost ₹2,611 and 3 ml (2,100 units) pen for the price ₹7,833.

What did the MD of Novo Nordisk India say?

Shrotriya noted that the cost is comparable to ₹345–453 for 70 units of currently available basal insulin products once daily. He added that Awiqli will be launched in the Indian market next week.

Read also | Eris Lifesciences is building on the power of insulin to break into the weight loss space

Novo Nordisk said in a statement that more than 101 million people in India live with diabetes, while another 136 million have prediabetes. The company also pointed out that insulin therapy is usually started 7-9 years later than recommended in India, mainly due to concerns about injections, expected pain and cost of treatment.

According to PTI, Shrotriya said that “it is a modern therapy and we (India) are the seventh country to start (the injection).

He emphasized the benefits of once-a-week insulin, explaining that conventional insulin therapies require people with diabetes to take injections every day, which often discourages them from starting treatment because “they think they have to take it every day and they have to take it for life.”

He mentioned that dosing Awiqli once a week helps address this problem, adding that it “reduces one of the barriers that people actually use to deny insulin.”

Shrotriya said India has around 6 million people on insulin therapy, and Novo Nordisk believes that number will rise to 9 million in the coming years, an increase likely to fuel the company’s business growth.

According to market research firm IMARC, India’s insulin market is expected to expand from US$660.5 million in 2025 to US$916.4 million by 2034, driven by rising prevalence of diabetes associated with sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and genetic risk factors.

Novo Nordisk said Awiqli, a brand of insulin icodec, was approved in the United States earlier this year and has since received regulatory approval in the European Union and several other countries. With its launch, India becomes the seventh country to introduce once-weekly basal insulin.

In India, Awiqli is expected to compete with established basal insulin brands, including Sanofi’s Lantus, as well as more affordable insulin glargine products offered by domestic pharmaceutical companies such as Biocon, Eris Lifesciences and Lupin. In addition to diabetes care, Novo Nordisk is also vying for a share of India’s fast-growing obesity treatment market, where it faces rivals such as Eli Lilly and a growing number of Indian generic drugmakers.