Barely six months after its launch, Eli Lilly's anti-obesity and diabetes drug Mounjaro has emerged as the second-largest brand in India's pharmaceutical market, reflecting the country's surging demand for weight-loss therapies.
According to the latest Indian Pharmaceutical Market (IPM) data, Mounjaro recorded Rs 80 crore in sales in September, trailing only GSK's antibiotic Augmentin, which registered Rs 85 crore.
With cumulative revenue now touching Rs 233 crore, the once-a-week injectable drug has shaken up India's chronic therapy landscape.
What Is Mounjaro
Mounjaro, known generically as tirzepatide, is once-a-week injectable drug originally developed to manage type 2 diabetes.
It works by mimicking two gut hormones-GLP-1 and GIP-that help regulate blood sugar levels and appetite.
Mounjaro, known generically as tirzepatide, is once-a-week injectable drug. Photo: The Grange Medical Practice
This dual action not only improves glucose control but also leads to significant weight loss, with clinical studies showing an average reduction of 20-22 percent in body weight.
Globally, Mounjaro has become one of the most talked-about drugs in the new class of anti-obesity and metabolic treatments, and its rapid uptake in India shows how strong the demand for such therapies has become.
The Fastest Riser In The Pharma Market
Launched in India in late March, Mounjaro's rise has been meteoric. The brand's sales grew 43 percent from August to September, jumping from Rs 56 crore to Rs 80 crore, making it one of the fastest-growing drugs in the market.
"Mounjaro is expected to supplement and accelerate this growth," said Sheetal Sapale, vice president at Pharmarack, a B2B healthcare platform, underscoring the drug's strong momentum in the chronic therapy segment.
The overall the Indian pharma market itself expanded by 7.3 percent in September, but Mounjaro's trajectory stood out.
A key factor behind this surge, experts said, is the launch of a more user-friendly Kwikpen formulation that has made the drug easier for patients to use.
"The sales got a boost from the launch of Mounjaro in Kwikpens, which are disposable pens pre-filled with the drug," Sapale said.
The injectable Kwikpens, introduced in August, are priced between Rs 14,000 and Rs 27,500 depending on dosage.
Despite the steep price, the brand has continued to attract demand, thanks to strong physician adoption, patient awareness campaigns, and an increasing acceptance of prescription weight-loss drugs in India.
The GST reduction from 18 percent to 5 percent, effective from September 22, has further sweetened the deal for patients. The move has lowered the monthly cost of Mounjaro's 5 mg vial by about Rs 1,096, bringing it down to approximately Rs 16,404, while the 2.5 mg vial's monthly cost has fallen by about Rs 876.
Rising Competition
Eli Lilly's rapid growth comes amid rising competition in India's anti-obesity market.
Rival Novo Nordisk also launched its much-anticipated injectable drug Wegovy in June, which has already entered the top 40 pharma brands list.
Analysts expect Wegovy's sales to pick up in the coming quarters as awareness and prescriptions rise, potentially setting the stage for a new rivalry between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in India's high-value weight-loss segment.
Mounjaro's success highlights a larger shift in India's healthcare consumption pattern.
The rise of medically supervised weight-loss therapies reflects increasing awareness around obesity, metabolic disorders, and their link to lifestyle diseases. As more people seek professional treatments over unregulated supplements or crash diets, the pharma sector is responding with innovation, marketing, and new delivery formats.
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