Novo Nordisk expects high demand for obesity drugs in India: Country head

Popular weight-loss drug Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk expects high demand and acceptance for its anti-obesity drug, when launched in India, a top executive said.

The company is still "evaluating" the price of the drug, but is confident that the price-sensitive Indian population will be able to afford it, Novo's India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya said.

"It is going to be a very promising launch in India where the acceptance of the medication is going to be higher than what we have seen in many of the other therapy areas," Shrotriya said.

Government intervention is necessary to raise awareness among the larger Indian population about obesity being a chronic disease, Shrotriya said on Wednesday, while presenting a 2022 Novo-funded study on India's obesity market.

 

The Danish drugmaker's blockbuster drug Wegovy and related diabetes drug Ozempic belong to a class of therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that help control blood sugar and slow digestion, making people feel fuller for longer.

Soaring global demand for these drugs, including US rival Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro, has made the companies among the world's valuable as they aggressively compete in a global weight-loss market that some analysts predict could reach $150 billion in the next decade.

Novo, which last year told Reuters about plans to launch Wegovy in India in 2026, refused to comment on if it was on track for the same, adding the company has some "reservations about it at this point of time" given the global demand has surpassed their production capacity.

"There are (other) countries in the list for launch," he said.

Lilly plans to launch its obesity drug in India by next year.

Both companies are expected to face competition from Indian drugmakers who are developing generic versions of weight-loss drugs for the global and price-conscious Indian market.