Not Ozempic, in India THIS weigh-loss and diabetes drug from Eli Lilly sees sales jump 60% — what is it? | Company Business News

While rival Ozempic has made international headlines for its weightloss use, in India, sales of weight-loss and diabetes drug Mounjaro, manufactured by pharma giant Eli Lilly, has been the big winner. Largely due to first mover advantage, sales of Mounjaro jumped 60 per cent in May 2025, compared to the previous month, according to a Bloomberg report.

Notably, May was the second full month that the tirzepatide injection drug has been available to patients in India, which has the third-highest number of obese people in the world, the report added.

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro Sales Numbers in India — A View

According to data from market analysis company Pharmarack Technologies, Eli Lilly sold $1.5 million or ₹12.6 crore worth of Mounjaro in India in May 2025.

Further, sales of the the US drugmaker’s 5 mg version have more than doubled to ₹7.5 crore, while revenue from the 2.5 mg version was ₹5.1 crore, the data showed.

“The patient number may have actually doubled in May from April. The demand is gradually rising and should continue. Newer patients are being introduced with the lower dose and upgraded to 5 mg injections after four weeks,” Sheetal Sapale, VP of Pharmarack told Bloomberg News.

What is Mounjaro? How much does it cost in India?

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is a brand-name subcutaneous injection pen, chemically known as tirzepatide. It is a weekly injectable medication for obesity and type 2 diabetes. It has been approved for sale in India by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

Mounjaro is notable for its dual-action mechanism, targeting both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which enhances its effectiveness in managing blood sugar levels.

According to a report by Healthline, it works by helping your body to produce more insulin when needed. It also reduces the amount of glucose, or sugar, produced by the liver, and slows down how quickly food is digested. This all helps to lower blood sugar levels and HbA1c. It increases how sensitive your body is to insulin and signals your pancreas to make more insulin after you eat.

Mounjaro weekly injection is priced at ₹4,375 ($50.67) for a 5 mg vial and ₹3,500 ($40.54) for a 2.5 mg vial, its lowest doses, the company told new agency Reuters. Its highest dose is 15 mg.

A patient in India may have to spend about ₹14,000 to ₹17,500 (around $200) a month when taking a weekly dose of 5 mg, subject to doctor’s prescription.

What is status of Ozempic in India?

Biocon on June 3 recieved approval to produce Novo Nordisk’s celebrated type-2 diabetes and anti-obesity drug Victoza in India. Victoza is the Norweigian pharma giant’s daily dose option for Ozempic, which is administered weekly.

“It’s difficult to guide on exactly when Ozempic is coming to what countries,” Camilla Sylvest, executive vice president at Novo Nordisk, said at a briefing in March 2025, addressing a question on the brand’s potential India launch.

While Ozempic itself has not been launched in India, its patent is quickly approaching patent expiry in January 2026, and India’s top generics players such as Cipla, Dr Reddy’s and Sun Pharma (besides Biocon) are rushing to develop versions of GLP-1 drugs.

The main difference between Mounjaro and Ozempic lies in their active ingredients. Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, which targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, while Ozempic contains semaglutide, which only targets GLP-1 receptors.

According to Goldman Sachs, the market for GLP-1 drugs is expected to reach $100 billion by 2030. In India too, the market is considered to be vast, as the country has around 10 crore people living with diabetes and obesity each, Eli Lilly had said earlier this year.

(With inputs from Agencies)