By Rishika Sadam BENGALURU (Reuters) -Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it had cut the price of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy, by up to 37% from its launch price in India, as it looks to gain ground in one of the world’s fast-growing markets for obesity treatments. Reuters exclusively reported earlier in the day […]
Health
Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy price by up to 37% in India
Audio By Carbonatix
By Rishika Sadam
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it had cut the price of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy, by up to 37% from its launch price in India, as it looks to gain ground in one of the world’s fast-growing markets for obesity treatments.
Reuters exclusively reported earlier in the day that the drugmaker had cut prices by up to 33% for the blockbuster treatment, citing a company document sent to its distributors. That cut includes the impact of a revision in the national sales tax structure in September, which made the drug slightly cheaper.
India is turning out to be a key battleground for Novo Nordisk and U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly as they compete fiercely for a bigger share of the global market for weight-loss drugs that analysts estimate could be worth $150 billion annually by the end of the decade.
The monthly price for Wegovy’s highest dose of 2.4 mg will now cost 16,400 rupees ($186.59), compared with its earlier price of 24,389.06 rupees, according to the document.
Its lowest dose of 0.25 mg will sell at 10,850 rupees for a monthly pack, compared with 16,260.94 rupees earlier.
“We have made sure to listen to our patient and doctor communities and take active measures for the benefit of people at large,” said Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director, Novo Nordisk India.
Wegovy entered India in June and is playing catch-up to Lilly’s Mounjaro, whose sales have doubled within months of its launch in March.
Both drugs are part of a class of treatments called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which promote a longer-lasting feeling of fullness and are prescribed for obesity and diabetes.
Wegovy’s active ingredient semaglutide goes off patent in India in March 2026, paving the way for generic drugmakers to enter the market.
The price cut comes days after Mounjaro became India’s top-selling drug by value in October.
“This could also be because generics are also entering the market in 2026, so a lower price will help Novo compete better,” Systematix Institutional Equities analyst Vishal Manchanda said, noting how Mounjaro is “doing better” than Wegovy in India.
“So, this might be a move to be able to sell more.”
The two companies are also looking to sell their treatments under different brand names, with Lilly striking a partnership with Cipla for Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk with Emcure Pharma for Wegovy, in a move that experts say will help widen the distribution of these drugs in India.
Lilly and Novo struck a deal in the U.S. earlier this month to cut prices for their weight-loss drugs for the government’s Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as for cash payers.
($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Rishika Sadam and Kashish Tandon, additional reporting by Sriparna Roy; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Anil D’Silva)