Weekly weight-loss shot Mounjaro is now India's top-selling drug

Mounjaro, the breakthrough obesity and diabetes drug from Eli Lilly and Company, has become India’s highest-selling pharmaceutical brand in October, according to fresh data from market intelligence firm Pharmarack released on November 7.

The blockbuster medication, which contains tirzepatide as its active ingredient, recorded sales worth Rs100 crore last month, surpassing long-time market leader Augmentin, the antibiotic that traditionally dominates India’s monthly drug sales charts.

Launched in March 2025, Mounjaro has already amassed cumulative revenues of 333 crore till October this year, signaling unprecedented demand in India’s rapidly expanding anti-obesity market.

Just days ago, Eli Lilly announced plans to expand Mounjaro’s reach under a new brand name, Yurpeak, in collaboration with Mumbai-based pharma giant Cipla, further strengthening its distribution footprint across India.

Initially developed for type 2 diabetes management, tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, also launched in India this year, are part of a new class of prescription drugs that mimic gut hormones to control appetite and reduce calorie intake.

Tirzepatide works as a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, while semaglutide acts solely on GLP-1 receptors.

Wegovy, priced between Rs17,345 and Rs 26,050 per month depending on dosage, faces stiff



competition from Mounjaro’s KwikPen, which ranges from Rs14,000 (2.5 mg) to Rs27,500 (15 mg).

But the market sales figures by Pharmarack showed that Mounjaro's sale was nearly 10 times higher than Wegovy's in October.

Interestingly, the figures which also analysed these drugs' sale in Mumbai, also showed that maximum purchase was registered in clusters with an "affluent or celebrity populace where contribution to business is higher."

The areas identified included Juhu, Andheri (West), Colaba and Worli, among others.

"These localities also have a relatively higher concentration of anti-obesity and weight loss clinics in Mumbai," the report seen by India Today noted.

Industry experts attribute Mounjaro’s dominance to its slightly higher efficacy in weight loss, earlier market introduction, and Eli Lilly’s aggressive marketing and distribution push.

India’s anti-obesity drug market, currently valued at 3,000–3,500 crore, is projected to surge to nearly 25,000 crore by 2030.

The potential is massive—an Indian Council of Medical Research-Madras Diabetes Research Foundation survey in 2023 revealed that over 25.4 crore Indians are living with generalized obesity.

Physicians also report a growing segment of patients with a BMI above 35 and body weights exceeding 100 kilograms, underscoring the escalating health and market challenge.