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Informist, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025

HYDERABAD – Novo Nordisk India Friday launched its once-weekly diabetes medicine Ozempic in India for people with type-2 diabetes. The medicine is meant to be used along with diet and exercise for adults whose diabetes is not under control. Ozempic is a brand with semaglutide ingredient, a top-selling drug in the glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, category of treatment for diabetes.

The medicine will be available in India in three strengths — 0.25 milligram dosage costing INR 8,800 per month, a 0.5 milligram version at INR 10,170 per month, and 1 milligram at a price of INR 11,175 per month — in a once-weekly pen to help doctors adjust doses easily and support long-term diabetes management. According to reports, Ozempic had global sales of nearly $18 billion in 2024.

Ozempic helps lower blood sugar levels and also supports weight loss, which improves overall metabolic health. It is suitable for adults with high blood sugar, including those with heart-related risks. Studies also show that it can reduce the chances of major heart problems and slow the progression of kidney disease.

Bringing Ozempic to India is a major milestone, said Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director of Novo Nordisk India, through a virtual launch event. He said the medicine's simple weekly pen device would give doctors a strong option to help patients improve blood sugar control, manage weight and protect long-term heart and kidney health. He said the drug has been priced considering the affordability of Indian population and close to the current prices of insulin.

Shrotriya said Ozempic is being used by 7.5 million people across 75 countries, where the drug was approved. The drug has gone through a critical trial process with 20,000 patients across the globe, including 1,246 Indians. He said the company is in advanced stage of bringing the oral semaglutide, as the drug is awaiting regulatory aprovals in India and other markets.

The company is importing the drug from Denmark at present. It has invested around $20 billion to create capacity in several locations to meet the demand for the drug. Ozempic has been developed by Novo Nordisk over two decades. The active ingredient, semaglutide, was recently added to the World Health Organization's essential medicines list because of its proven health benefits. End

US$1 = INR 90.38

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

Reported by Narayana Krishna

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

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