Novo Nordisk launched Ozempic in India on Friday with a 0.25 mg dose priced at $24.35 (approx ₹2,200) a week as it seeks to tap into the fast-growing diabetes and obesity market in the country, where demand for the weight-loss cure is soaring, Reuters reported.
Ozempic will be sold in pen format in doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg, the drugmaker said.
Novo has set monthly prices at 8,800 rupees for a 0.25 mg dose, 10,170 rupees for 0.5 mg and 11,175 rupees for 1 mg. Each pen contains four weekly doses.
“Ozempic, a once-weekly injectable drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for type 2 diabetes, has become a global bestseller and is widely used off-label for weight loss because of its appetite-suppressing effects. It also protects patients from the risk of cardiovascular events and kidney problems,” Novo said.
“Ozempic also helps people lose up to 8 kilograms in people with diabetes… So this drug has benefits beyond glycemic control,” Novo Nordisk India chief Vikrant Shrotriya said, as reported by Reuters.
India has the world’s second-largest population of people with type 2 diabetes after China and is also seeing rising obesity rates, making it a key market for pharmaceutical companies seeking to capture the booming slimming drug sector.
Analysts predict that this market could reach $150 billion a year by the end of the decade.
Novo Nordisk planned to introduce Ozempic in India this month, Reuters reported, with the aim of establishing an early presence before local generic makers launch more affordable versions. The patent for semaglutide expires in March 2026, according to Reuters.
(With input from agencies)
