In a shot in the arm for India’s high-growth weight-loss medicines market, generic versions of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug semaglutide will 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 Wegovy, expired on Friday.
At least half a dozen domestic drug companies including Dr Reddy’s, Natco Pharma, Eris Lifesciences, Zydus and Alkem will launch their versions of the much-in-demand prescription medicine on Saturday. Many others including Sun Pharma, Lupin, Mankind are also expected to join the bandwagon soon. 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 were predicted by some, the generic versions are now expected to be within a narrow price band, while being substantially cheaper than the innovator product.
Price War Begins
Natco Pharma on Friday said its versions under brand names Semanat and Semafull –for multi-dose vials and pen device respectively– will be available from Saturday. While vials are chepaer than Novo’s drug by nearly 90%, pre-filed pens, which offer fuller monthly doses, will be marketed at prices up to 72% lower than the innovator’s product. Eris Lifesciences also introduced its drug under the brand ‘Sundae’ at price points similar to Natco’s (see chart). Last month, Eris had entered into a strategic partnership with Natco to commercialise semaglutide in India.
Semaglutide, originally patented as active pharme ingredient for the managment of type2 diabates, 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. Novo initially filed for a patent on the drug in 2011, and has since obtained the exclusive right in multiple countries.
“Natco received Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approval to manufacture and market generic semaglutide in India in February 2026 for multi-dose vials and pen device based on the clinical comparison study,” Natco Pharma said in a stock exchange filing on Friday
Natco said it is first company to offer semaglutide in the vial dosage form, which is believed to offer patients customised dosing and better cost management. Currently, Novo’s Wegovy is sold in a pre-filled syringe format containing four doses to be taken over one month (once per week). “This will increase patient accessibility to the GLP-1 therapy and would help in long term compliance for the patients,” Natco said.
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% lower than Wegovy.
Market Expansion
As on February, the size of India’s GLP-1 drugs market stood at around Rs 1,500 crore in India. Nearly 85% of the market is dominated by Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide), and the remaining by Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic (used for type-2 diabetes treatment). To be sure, the molecule patent for Mounjaro will expire only in 2036.
Analysts are expecting two-fold jump in the sale of of GLP-1 units over the next 3 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 2-3 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.