Wegovy vs Mounjaro: Eli Lilly to launch full-dose pen device in India as obesity drug race heats up

Just months after introducing its weight-loss drug Mounjaro in India, US-based Eli Lilly is set to roll out a more convenient, pen-filled version—escalating its rivalry with Novo Nordisk in the country’s nascent but high-potential obesity drug market.

The US-based drugmaker announced on Thursday that it has received market authorization from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to launch the Mounjaro KwikPen, a multi-dose, single-patient-use prefilled pen designed for once-weekly administration. Until now, the drug was only available in injectable vials, in two dosage strengths.

The full dosage range will soon be available in India, the company said.

“With this approval, all six dosage options for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) will soon be available in India, supporting a more personalized approach to treatment and allowing healthcare professionals to tailor care based on individual patient needs and clinical goals,” Winselow Tucker, president and general manager, Lilly India, said in the release.

A pen-device is much easier for self-administration and preferred by patients over vials, according healthcare providers.

Fat fight

While Eli Lilly gained an early mover advantage with Mounjaro’s March 2025 launch, Novo Nordisk is counting on its pen-device format and insulin market leadership to help it close the gap, its India head Vikrant Shrotriya told Mint earlier this week.

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro has sold over 81,570 units in India, with cumulative sales of ₹23.94 crore by May 2025, according to pharma intelligence platform Pharmarack.

Novo Nordisk, which launched its rival drug Wegovy in India this week, has been losing global market share to Lilly in the anti-obesity space and entered the Indian market later.

Both drugmakers face a narrow window to tap into India’s largely unmet demand for chronic weight-loss medication—before generics arrive.

Novo Nordisk is expected to lose patent protection on semaglutide, the active compound in Wegovy, by March 2026. Leading Indian pharmaceutical companies including Dr Reddy’s, Sun Pharma, Zydus Lifesciences, and Cipla are reportedly preparing to launch lower-cost versions.

Mounjaro is currently priced at ₹14,000 monthly for a 2.5 mg vial and ₹17,500 monthly for the 5 mg version. The company has not yet disclosed pricing for the remaining dosage options.

Wegovy, also a once-weekly injectable, is being introduced in five dose levels: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg. The first three are priced at ₹4,336 per dose or ₹17,345 monthly, while the 1.7 mg dose is priced at ₹24,280 and the 2.4 mg at ₹26,015 per month.

Big opportunity

The growing competition between Lilly and Novo underscores the scale of the opportunity: India is home to more than 254 million people living with obesity and over 100 million adults with diabetes. The Indian weight loss market was estimated to be $25 billion in 2024, and could double in size by 2033, according to Nuvama research.

With lifestyle-related illnesses rising and awareness around medical weight management slowly increasing, both companies are racing to establish a strong foothold before prices crash and the market fragments.