The growth also comes as India’s broader pharmaceutical market expands
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India’s anti-obesity drug market is changing rapidly as patients increasingly choose injectable GLP-1 medicines over oral drugs. Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro has emerged as India’s best-selling pharmaceutical brand, according to Pharmatrac industry data from Pharmarack for the 12 months ending August 2026.When the GLP-1 market began expanding in India, oral semaglutide, sold as Rybelsus, was the preferred option. Launched in 2022, it offered patients an alternative to injections. The trend has since reversed, with demand for oral semaglutide declining while injectable GLP-1 medicines continue to gain ground.Dr Saptarshi Bhattacharya, Senior Consultant-Endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said the growing use of injectable GLP-1 medicines is linked to their established role in both diabetes and obesity treatment, while oral GLP-1 options currently have a more limited role, primarily in diabetes.“Weekly dosing is also convenient, and many patients find them easier to tolerate than oral medicines, which can come with more restrictions around how they need to be taken,” he said.Metabolic BenefitsDr Ashutosh Goyal, Principal Consultant-Endocrinology, Paras Health, Gurugram, said injectable GLP-1 treatments are becoming more widespread because of their ability to reduce excessive body weight, improve appetite control and benefit several metabolic parameters when used appropriately.The injectable market received another boost with the launch of tirzepatide and the expansion of injectable semaglutide in 2025 including Wegovy, giving doctors and patients more treatment options. Tirzepatide, the molecule in Mounjaro, now accounts for nearly three-fourths of the injectable GLP-1 market by value and has overtaken semaglutide.Mounjaro recorded sales of ₹1,256 crore in the 12 months ending August 2026, up 502 per cent from the previous year. It ranked No. 1 in both annual and monthly sales, ahead of GSK’s Augmentin at ₹957 crore and USV’s Glycomet GP at ₹950 crore.Rapid RiseLaunched only in 2025, Mounjaro’s rapid rise is notable. Its year-on-year unit growth stood at 89.4 per cent, although units sold in August fell 43.8 per cent from July, its sales value rose 34.1 per cent. The divergence suggests a greater contribution from higher-priced units, though stocking and distribution changes may also have played a role.The report said India’s overall GLP-1 market, covering tablets and injections, is now worth ₹2,333 crore, up from ₹153 crore in August 2022, an almost 15-fold increase in four years. Tirzepatide accounts for 62 per cent of the market by value and semaglutide 34 per cent.The growth also comes as India’s broader pharmaceutical market expands. The overall market grew 10.7 per cent in value in August, while prescription volumes remained largely flat, highlighting the growing role of higher-priced medicines and doses in driving value growth.Published on September 7, 2026
