According to sources familiar with the matter, due to concerns about falling behind competitor eli lilly and co (LLY.US) in the potential market of india, the india team of danish pharmaceutical giant novo-nordisk a/s (NVO.US) has been advocating for the earlier launch of its popular weight loss drug Wegovy in india to maintain its leadership position in the global weight loss drug market.

Novo-nordisk a/s previously stated that Wegovy might enter india in 2026 once regulatory approval is obtained and supply is sufficient. However, recently, novo-nordisk a/s's india team proposed to advance the launch of Wegovy in india to next year, while eli lilly and co is also expected to launch its weight loss drug Mounjaro in india around the same time.

A source said that about two months ago, during a closed-door meeting at novo-nordisk a/s's danish headquarters, the india team expressed concerns that without an early launch of Wegovy in india, the company might fall behind eli lilly and co in the indian market.

Currently, novo-nordisk a/s's Wegovy and eli lilly and co's Mounjaro are the most popular weight loss drugs on the market. Both companies have been working to meet the surging demand in the usa and several other markets, as well as to expand production capacity to compete for dominance in the weight loss drug market. Some analysts predict that the global weight loss drug market could reach $150 billion in the next decade.

According to a knowledgeable source, novo-nordisk a/s obtained regulatory approval for semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) in india at the end of 2022. The company stated in a statement that it is working to make Wegovy available for launch, though no specific launch date has yet been determined.

As a country with over 1.4 billion population, india has seen an increase in obesity rates in recent years. A government survey conducted from 2019 to 2021 showed that 24% of women and 23% of men aged 15 to 49 were overweight or obese, up from 20.6% and 19% respectively in 2015 to 2016. Although indian generic drug manufacturers, including Cipla and Dr Reddy's, are producing cheaper generic versions of Wegovy, the launch timing of these generics will be limited by patent terms. Meanwhile, india's highest-revenue pharmaceutical company Sun Pharmaceutical is developing its own experimental GLP weight loss drug.