Novo Nordisk Cuts Prices of Ozempic, Wegovy in India Amid Generic Competition Threat

Novo Nordisk Slashes Prices of Diabetes and Obesity Drugs in India

In a move to defend its market share, Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant, has announced a significant price cut for its blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, in India. The company has reduced the prices of these medications to make them more affordable for patients with type 2 diabetes, overweight, and obesity in the country.

As of April 1, the starting dose of Ozempic will be priced at Rs 1,415 a week or Rs 5,660 a month, inclusive of taxes. Similarly, Wegovy will be available at Rs 1,415 a week or Rs 5,660 a month. These prices represent a 36 percent reduction for Ozempic and a 48 percent reduction for Wegovy from their previous prices.

The average price cut for both medications works out to about 24 percent for Ozempic and 27 percent for Wegovy. This move follows weeks of aggressive pricing by Indian generic manufacturers after patents protecting semaglutide injections expired on March 20.

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Price Comparison

The prices of Ozempic and Wegovy have seen the steepest fall within months, compared to their launch prices. Ozempic was launched in India in December 2025 with monthly prices ranging from Rs 8,800 to Rs 11,175 for 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg doses. Wegovy, launched in June 2025, was initially priced higher at around Rs 17,345–Rs 26,015 per month.

Prior to the price revision, weekly prices for the starting dose stood at Rs 2,200 for Ozempic and Rs 2,712 for Wegovy, placing Novo's products far above locally made alternatives. Several Indian drugmakers have since launched generic semaglutide at price points as low as Rs 1,200–Rs 1,500 a month using vial formats, setting off a price war in one of the world's fastest-growing diabetes and obesity markets.

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The price cuts mark one of Novo Nordisk's steepest pricing moves in India for a patented therapy, underscoring the pressure it faces to balance affordability with its premium positioning just as branded generics flood the market. Despite the reductions, Novo's pen-based injector products remain positioned above most generics, which are largely sold in vials or lower-cost devices.

The company said it is committed to making best-in-class cardiometabolic care more affordable for patients in India. Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director of Novo Nordisk India, stated that the company is trying to make its innovative treatments more accessible to as many people as possible.

India has become a key battleground for semaglutide pricing following the erosion of exclusivity, with more than 40 domestic players entering the market in recent months. Novo Nordisk had earlier cut prices by about 37 percent in late 2025, but the latest move pushes pricing closer to mass-market thresholds as competition accelerates.

The company emphasizes that its products are backed by more than 50 clinical trials and nearly 49 million patient-years of exposure globally, and manufacturing standards and cold-chain integrity are differentiating factors for the company.