In half a year since its launch, Eli Lilly’s weight-loss and diabetes therapy Mounjaro has emerged as a major disruptor in India’s pharmaceutical market, coming within touching distance of GlaxoSmithKline’s long-standing market leader, Augmentin, an antibiotic.
Mounjaro recorded sales worth Rs 80 crore in September, compared with Rs 85 crore generated by Augmentin during the same period, according to the latest Indian Pharmaceutical Market (IPM) data, reported NDTV.
The once-a-week injectable has thus become India’s second-highest selling medicine last month, data from industry tracker PharmaTrac showed.
Mounjaro, known generically as tirzepatide, was originally developed for managing type 2 diabetes.
It works by mimicking two gut hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, which help regulate blood sugar levels and appetite. This dual action improves glucose control and promotes significant weight loss, with clinical studies showing an average reduction of 20 to 22 per cent in body weight.
The drug’s rise has been swift. Mounjaro’s September sales represented a 42 per cent jump from Rs 56 crore in August.
A major factor behind its performance is the higher unit value of the injectable despite lower sales volume.
The average monthly cost for patients ranges from Rs 14,000 to Rs 27,000, depending on dosage and prescription. In comparison, a strip of ten tablets of Augmentin 625 Duo costs under Rs 200.
Prescribed alongside a balanced diet and regular exercise, Mounjaro is typically initiated at the lowest dose, which doctors gradually increase every four weeks.
This progressive dosing pattern has contributed to the recent surge in demand as patients move to higher doses.
Sales of Mounjaro’s rival Wegovy, marketed by Novo Nordisk, have remained steady at around Rs 9 crore.
Globally, Mounjaro has become one of the most discussed drugs in the new class of anti-obesity and metabolic treatments.
Its rapid uptake in India reflects the strong and growing demand for weight-loss therapies.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta in May shared his experience with Mounjaro (tirzepatide), revealing on X that he began the drug under medical supervision to manage rising blood sugar and weight.
Within months, he lost nearly 10 kilos and achieved normal blood sugar levels. After Ozempic (semaglutide) failed to work, his doctor recommended Mounjaro, which targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors for improved insulin control and appetite regulation.
Mehta, speaking to My Kolkata, emphasised that his progress came through a holistic approach combining medical advice, strength training, intermittent fasting, high-protein meals, and reduced sugar and alcohol — choosing well-being over numbers on the scale.
A Reuters report in April noted that Indian doctors were inundated with calls and messages from patients eager to find out when and where they could buy the drug — a sign of the intense public interest driving Mounjaro’s meteoric rise.
