Novo Nordisk bets on Emcure to win India’s weight-loss drug war

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk on Monday announced an exclusive partnership with Pune-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals to widely distribute its weight-loss therapy semaglutide, as competition in India’s fast-growing anti-obesity drug market heats up.

The announcement comes on the heels of US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly last month announcing a similar deal with Mumbai-based Cipla to distribute its anti-obesity drug Tirzepatide.

Novo and Emcure said in a joint statement that they would launch semaglutide as a 2.4 mg weekly injection under a new brand name, Poviztra. The companies have not yet announced the pricing strategy and launch date but said they will be “very competitive” on pricing.

Novo Nordisk currently markets semaglutide in India under the brand name Wegovy, launched in June 2025, and Rybelsus, an oral pill launched in 2022. Wegovy is also a once-weekly injectable medication sold in five dosages: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg. Price of the first three ₹4,336 per dose or ₹17,345 per month, the price of the 1.7 mg dose is ₹24,280 and 2.4 mg ₹26,015 per month.

The idea behind the partnership with a domestic player is to increase scale and provide access to patients beyond their current reach, Novo Nordisk’s India managing director Vikrant Shrotriya told reporters in a virtual press conference on Monday.

“I don’t think obesity is limited to one metro town or one city in India. [tier 1 or 2] city. “I think it has penetrated a large section of our society, right down to the villages,” Shrotriya said, adding, “What we see is that a very, very small percentage of patients in the population today have access. However, with Emcure, we believe this will expand in terms of reach in India as well.”

“Today, it is limited only to specialists and endocrinologists. [who prescribe it]. “And I’m sure that over time, with the type of population affected, more and more doctors will adopt this in prescribing these drugs,” he added.

Emcure’s plan

Emcure is India’s 14th largest pharmaceutical company in terms of sales as of FY25. The partnership marks its entry into the anti-obesity segment and the company plans to strengthen its sales force and distribution network in the field to increase penetration.

The company is a leader in gynecology (ranked #2 in the Indian market) and is expanding its dermatology and cardiovascular (in partnership with Sanofi) portfolios this year.

Emcure CEO and managing director Satish Mehta said the company has 30 CNF agents (carrying and forwarding agencies) across the country, covering more than 40-50% of pharmacies in the country.

“We have a wide distribution network. Therefore, we are sure that we will reach the product as soon as possible, even in the most remote corners of the country,” he said.

The drugmaker has 5,000 medical representatives and will target a variety of therapies and specialists for the drug. “This can be used in chronic kidney disease (CKD), we are very strong in nephro, we have a division in hepatology and it has indications in fatty liver disease, I believe it should be useful in gynecology as well,” Mehta said.

In comparison, Cipla has a field force of 11,512 medical representatives in India as of FY25.

Currently, Wevogy is indicated for chronic weight management and reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with obesity in India.

Worldwide, semaglutide is also approved by the US FDA for the treatment of chronic kidney disease, risks of cardiovascular events, and MASH (steatohepatitis associated with metabolic dysfunction) or fatty liver disease. Shrotriya said the company is also working on regulatory filings for further doses and indications in India.

Novo’s challenge

Novo Nordisk, which has seen its fortunes soar thanks to the blockbuster drug semaglutide, is fighting hard against global rivals such as Pfizer as well as rival Eli Lilly.

With competition intensifying the pressure on the drugmaker, it recently cut its 2025 sales and profit forecasts due to slower-than-expected growth in its main drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. The company lowered its full-year sales growth forecast to 8-11% and operating profit growth to 4-7%.

Novo is yet to launch Ozempic in India.

Globally, Wegovy and Ozempic’s sales grew at a slower pace in the third quarter of 2025 compared to previous quarters; Wegovy’s year-over-year growth was 18% (down from 67% in Q2) and Ozempic’s was 3% (down from 15% in Q2).

India, with 254 million obese people and more than 100 million diabetics, is the latest battleground for weight-loss drug manufacturers. Novo lost its early mover advantage to Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, which launched in March 2025, outpacing sales by a factor of 10 by October 2025.

Additionally, the company will face stiff competition from generic players next year, as semaglutide is scheduled to lose patent exclusivity in March. Leading domestic drug manufacturers such as Mankind Pharma, Dr Reddy’s and Sun Pharma are preparing to launch cheaper knock-off versions of the weight loss drug.