In a shot in the arm for India’s high-growth weight-loss drugs market, generic versions of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug semaglutide hit the shelves on Saturday, with price discounts as deep as 70-90%. The patent on the drug, sold in India since June 2025 under the originator brand, expired on Friday.

Semaglutide, originally patented as an active pharma ingredient for the management of Type 2 diabetes, was later found to be much useful to control obesity. It belongs to a class of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and works by regulating appetite and blood sugar.

Most players have kept the prices for the monthly low dose injectable around Rs 1300. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Glenmark), announced the launch of GLIPIQⓇ (semaglutide) in India for the management of Type 2 diabetes. This will be available in both vial and pre-filled pen formulations. The expected weekly cost of treatment with GLIPIQⓇ vials range from ₹325 to ₹440 (Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,760 monthly), significantly lowering the cost barrier to initiate GLP-1 therapy in India and establishing a more affordable entry point into this class of treatment.

In addition to vials, GLIPIQⓇ is also available in pre-filled pen format, offering convenience of self-dosing for long-term therapy. Both presentations are available in strengths of 2 mg/1.5 mL, 4 mg/3 mL, and 8 mg/3 mL.

Natco Pharmaceuticals and Eris Lifesciences, are entering the market with Rs 1,290 for the lowest dose per month. Natco will launch Semanat and Semafull in 2 mg, 4 mg and 8 mg doses. The multi-dose drug vials will cost Rs 1,290 per month for the lowest dose and Rs 1,750 for the highest one. It will also launch an easy-to-inject pen device next month in the same three doses that will cost Rs 4,000, Rs 4,200, and Rs 4,500 respectively.

Eris Lifesciences will be launching Sundae at price points the same as Natco’s. Its price point for the 8 mg vial dose is not available yet. Last month, Eris had entered into a strategic partnership with Natco to commercialise semaglutide in India. These injectables will be available from Saturday.

Zydus Lifesciences has launched its generic semaglutide injection in India at an average monthly cost of approximately ₹2,200. These will be marketed under the brand names Semaglyn, Mashema and Alterme. Zydus is offering a reusable multi-dose pen device (15mg/3ml cartridge). The pens available so far could dispense the drug only in a single dosage, meaning patients had to buy different pens for different doses. Here the dose can be titrated.

Sun Pharma launched its semaglutide injection under the brand names Noveltreat and Sematrinity in all strengths. Noveltreat is indicated for chronic weight management in adults as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity and is available in five dose strengths — 0.25 mg/0.5 mL, 0.5 mg/0.5 mL, 1 mg/0.5 mL, 1.7 mg/0.75 mL, and 2.4 mg/0.75 mL. Sematrinity is indicated for treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled Type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise and is available in two dose strengths – 2 mg/1.5 mL and 4 mg/3 mL. Priced significantly lower than the innovator brand, weekly therapy costs, from initiation to the highest dose, range from approximately ₹900 to ₹2,000 for Noveltreat and ₹750 to ₹1,300 for Sematrinity, supporting greater affordability.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, the first Indian company to receive Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for generic semaglutide,  has launched injectable semaglutide under the brand name Obeda®. Claiming non‑inferior efficacy and a safety profile comparable to the innovator drug and showing similar glycaemic reduction, Obeda® is available in 2 mg and 4 mg strengths and comes in a pre‑filled, disposable pen designed for subcutaneous, once‑a-week administration.

Each pen of both strengths will deliver a minimum of four weekly doses. The cost to the patient will be Rs 4,200 per month for both the strengths.

How do prices compare with the innovator drug?
To compare, innovator drug major Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic meant for the treatment of diabetes costs between Rs 8,800 and Rs 11,175 per month while its weight-loss Wegovy costs between Rs 10,850 to Rs 16,400 per month.

How many players are in the fray?
According to industry estimates, 43 companies have either got regulatory approvals for the drug or have their generic versions in the pipeline. Most of these will be introduced in the domestic market over the next few months.

Although a price war among these companies was predicted by some, the generic versions are now expected to be within a narrow price band, while being substantially cheaper than the innovator product.

While Natco’s vials are cheaper than Novo Nordisk’s drug by nearly 90 per cent, pre-filled pens, which offer fuller monthly doses, will be marketed at prices up to 72 per cent lower than the innovator’s product.

Prior to the patent expiry, Emcure Pharmaceuticals became the first Indian company to exclusively distribute and commercialise Poviztra under a tie-up with Novo. The once-weekly pen device has been available in five strengths, and was launched at a price starting from Rs 8,790 per month, 15-20 per cent lower than Wegovy.

Extras to boost sales
Sun Pharma and Glenmark are banking on a patient guidance programme. Kirti Ganorkar, Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, said, “We are offering a comprehensive range, backed by our decades of expertise in manufacturing complex medicines. To further support patients, we are also introducing a holistic patient support program intended to guide them throughout their treatment journey”.

Sun Pharma’s Noveltreat prefilled pen uses a concealed needle to help ease injection fear and improve handling safety and dosing accuracy. Sematrinity comes in a multi-dose pen format that offers flexible dosing, with a smooth dialer that enables accurate dose delivery.

Glenmark is introducing ‘Sankalp’, which is designed to support therapy initiations, improve comfort with injectable treatment and enable long-term adherence. Alok Malik, president and business head, India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., said, “With GLIPIQⓇ, we are setting a new benchmark in affordability for GLP-1 therapy, with weekly treatment starting at ₹325. The vial-based format enables us to offer a more affordable option while supporting clinically guided initiation and flexible dosing. Building on our experience in the GLP-1 category, including Lirafit™ (Liraglutide), and supported by our ‘Sankalp’ program, we aim to help more patients access, initiate, and continue therapy over time.”

As part of its future plans for GLP-1 therapies, Dr Reddy’s will be looking at a fully integrated API and formulation approach, encompassing both development and manufacturing in-house.

What’s the current market for GLP-1 drugs?
As of February, the size of India’s GLP-1 drugs market stood at around Rs 1,500 crore in India. Nearly 85 per cent of the market is dominated by Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide), and the remaining by Novo’s Wegovy (used for weight loss) and Ozempic (used for Type 2 diabetes treatment).  The molecule patent for Mounjaro will expire only in 2036.

Analysts are expecting a two-fold jump in the sale of GLP-1 units over the next three months due to the steep price cuts. “The current monthly sales of GLP-1 drugs are around 1.2 lakh units. It’s likely to double in about three months as consumption will boost due to rate cuts. Since obesity is a chronic condition, the patients are required to use these drugs over a long period. Also, we expect the new patient onboarding (for the treatment of obesity) will shift towards semaglutide due to improved affordability,” said Sheetal Sapale, vice-president (commercial) at Pharmarack.