Eli Lilly has secured regulatory approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to introduce its pre-filled injector pens for Mounjaro, expanding its weight-loss and diabetes treatment portfolio in one of the world’s fastest-growing pharmaceutical markets.
The Mounjaro KwikPen, designed for once-weekly administration, will now be available in six dose strengths—2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg. The approval marks a significant milestone for Lilly, which began offering Mounjaro in India in March 2025 in limited vial-based formulations for diabetes and obesity.
“With this approval, all six dosage options for Mounjaro will soon be accessible in India, enabling a more tailored approach to patient care,” said Winselow Tucker, President of Lilly India, in a statement on Thursday.
The expanded launch positions Lilly to directly compete with Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which introduced its own GLP-1-based injectable weight-loss treatment, Wegovy, in India earlier this week. Like Mounjaro, Wegovy is available in multiple fixed doses via a convenient pen injector, highlighting the intensifying competition between the two global drugmakers.
India, with its rapidly growing prevalence of diabetes and obesity, represents a major market opportunity. A recent study published in The Lancet ranked India among the top three countries globally with the highest rates of obesity—underscoring the urgency and commercial potential for scalable obesity treatments.
Both Mounjaro and Wegovy are based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist technology, a class of drugs known for regulating blood glucose levels, slowing gastric emptying, and promoting satiety, thereby aiding in weight loss.
Lilly did not disclose pricing details for the Mounjaro KwikPen but confirmed that each device will deliver four fixed doses of 0.6 ml. Competitive pricing may prove crucial as both companies prepare to defend market share amid the upcoming expiration of semaglutide’s patent in India. Generic manufacturers are already positioning themselves to release more affordable alternatives, potentially disrupting the premium biologics segment.
As India emerges as a key battleground for GLP-1 therapies, regulatory agility, device innovation, and affordability are expected to shape the trajectory of patient access and market dominance.
