Within a few days of launching cheaper versions of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug semaglutide, the market share of rival drug tirzepatide took a big hit. Monthly sales of originator Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide brand Mounjaro dropped 21% in March, according to Pharmarack data. After semaglutide’s patent expired on March 20, the market was flooded with cheaper generic versions.
Eli Lilly’s market share in the GLP-1 category of drugs, which includes both semaglutide and tirzepatide, dropped from 61% in March to 56% in February. A dozen India companies have launched generic semaglutide over the last three weeks, with roughly 70-90% discounted to the innovator’s price when patent was in force
Price Disruption
Novo sells the drug under brand names Wegovy (anti-obesity) and Ozempic (anti-diabetic). It cut prices in November in thne run-up to patent expirt and in March after the exclusive right expred.
Mounjaro’s sales drop has come at the expense of semaglutide taking on a larger share of the GLP-1 agonist market, analysts said. In March, drugs based on semaglutide cumulatively registered a sales growth of 10%, and are now capturing 33% of the market as against 25% in February.
Pharmarack said that the launch of branded generics has made semaglutide molecule stronger in the GLP-1 market.“Generic as well as innovator versions in semaglutide segment are far more economical than that of market leader’s. While Eli Lilly has shown a significant value share erosion, Novo has managed to hold on against competitive forces in the GLP-1 segment,” said Sheetal Sapale, vice-president (commercial) at Pharmarack.
Sapale added that Novo has maintained its ground well in the initial round of fight due to the innovator driven efficacy, partnerships with Emcure and Abbott, and by bringing the pricing at par with some key generics.
Mounjaro’s cost in India starts at Rs 13,125 per month for a 2.5 mg dose, and goes up to Rs 25,781 for 15 mg dose. Post March 21, when the market was flooded with generics, Danish drugmaker Novo slashed the prices of both its obesity drug Wegovy and anti-diabetic medication Ozempic to match the prices of Indian drugmakers. Beginning April 1, the starting dose of Wegovy (0.25 mg) were made available at a monthly price of Rs 5,660, down 36% from its previous monthly price of Rs 8,800. In comparison, the starting dose of semaglutide (in pre-filled pens) for companies like Eris Lifesciences and Sun Pharma stood at Rs 4,000 and Rs 3,490 per month, respectively.
It was the second time Novo had reduced Wegovy prices in India. The company had cut prices in November 2025 by 37% to expand the access of its chronic weight management therapy and counter Mounjaro which was launched in March 2025.
Global Test Case
Semaglutide’s patent expired in early 2026 in countries such as India, China, Canada, and Brazil. India particularly has become a test case globally with 12 companies already introducing 23 brands in the market. To be sure, patent protection for semaglutide remains in place in many regions such as the US and Europe until the early 2030s. On the other hand, the molecule patent for Mounjaro will expire only in 2036 in India.
It’s expected that more aggressive generic launches of semaglutide might be seen over the next few days, and the exponential growth trend in the segment is likely to continue in April as well. “The phenomenon will likely stabilise in 3-4 months,” a pharma analyst said.
As of March, the size of India’s GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs market stood at around Rs 1,600 crore in India. GLP-1 is a class of drug prescribed to manage type-2 diabetes and obesity. They work by regulating appetite and blood sugar.