Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide brand Mounjaro has rocketed past ₹100 crore in India within just four months of launch, signaling explosive demand for modern incretin therapies across diabetes and obesity care in the world’s most populous nation. The once-weekly injectable, introduced in March 2025 at India-specific pricing, has rapidly scaled prescriptions, with sales nearly doubling month over month and July alone contributing about ₹47 crore—up from ₹26 crore in June—according to domestic market trackers.
A Breakout Debut: Sales, Momentum, and Market Context
Since its launch, Mounjaro’s monthly net sales have climbed from ₹3 crore in March (partial month) to ₹8 crore in April, ₹13 crore in May, ₹26 crore in June, and ₹47 crore in July, aggregating to roughly ₹98 crore—rounding up to the widely cited ₹100 crore mark in industry chatter and trade reports. Early tallies showed nearly 81,000 units sold by end-May, with a 60% month-on-month value jump into June as supply ramped and prescriber confidence rose. By July, unit volumes surged to an estimated 157,000—roughly 30 times higher than rival Wegovy’s early run rate in India, underscoring first-mover advantage and wider access at launch.
Pricing has been central to adoption: the 2.5 mg and 5 mg strengths were introduced at ₹3,500 and ₹4,375 per injection, respectively, translating to about ₹14,000–₹17,500 per month depending on dose titration—a fraction of typical U.S. list prices and aligned to expand access in India. Industry trackers and hospital advisories note robust patient onboarding in metropolitan markets and specialist clinics, with prescribers increasingly positioning tirzepatide for type-2 diabetes and, where clinically appropriate and approved, chronic weight management.
Why Mounjaro Is Scaling: Efficacy, Access, and Physician Confidence
Clinically, tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP‑1 receptor agonist that can deliver substantial weight loss while improving glycemic control, with global trials demonstrating average body-weight reductions up to the high teens over 72 weeks at higher doses in non-diabetics, and double‑digit loss in those with diabetes. Experts and market intelligence firms attribute Mounjaro’s early lead to three factors: strong efficacy data, earlier availability at scale relative to competitors, and accessible India pricing across multiple dose strengths.
Eli Lilly has highlighted a “positive” reception locally and is prioritizing supply to meet demand—a persistent global bottleneck for the class—after investing heavily in manufacturing capacity since 2020. Regulatory momentum has also helped: India granted marketing authorization for tirzepatide in type‑2 diabetes, with obesity indication under review and post‑marketing surveillance obligations (Phase IV) requested to build India‑specific safety and effectiveness evidence over time.
Competitive Landscape: Early Lead Over Wegovy
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide (Wegovy) entered the Indian market later and at higher price points in certain presentations, creating an immediate contrast in both volumes and revenue share. In July 2025, Wegovy did about ₹7 crore with approximately 5,000 injections sold, while Mounjaro posted about ₹47 crore and roughly 157,000 units—nearly 30 times Wegovy’s unit throughput that month, per Pharmarack-linked reports. Broader GLP‑1/GIP market value has more than doubled in two years, suggesting headroom for multiple brands as supply stabilizes and clinical pathways standardize.
Some trackers estimate Mounjaro crossed ₹50 crore in cumulative sales within the first three months and was nearing ₹100 crore by late July, with June alone at about ₹26–₹39 crore depending on dataset and cutoffs used (PharmaTrac vs other panels). By mid‑August reporting, consensus converged around the ₹100 crore cumulative milestone within four months, cementing Mounjaro as one of the fastest‑scaling prescription brands of 2025 in India.
Indications, Dosing, and Safety: What Experts Emphasize
- Indications: Approved for type‑2 diabetes in India; chronic weight management indication is under regulatory review, with some reports noting separate branding (Zepbound) globally for obesity. Clinicians stress evidence-based use and adherence to approved indications pending final obesity nods in India.
- Dosing: Once-weekly subcutaneous injection, typically titrated from 2.5 mg upward based on tolerability and goals, across 2.5–15 mg in global labels; India launched with initial strengths at 2.5 mg and 5 mg in single-dose vials.
- Safety: Common class effects include gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, bloating), with contraindications like personal/family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma highlighted in medical advisories, reinforcing the need for supervision and lifestyle co-management. Regulators have directed post‑marketing Phase IV follow‑up to monitor real‑world outcomes in Indian populations.
Demand Drivers: India’s Metabolic Health Crisis
India is facing a rapidly worsening burden of obesity and diabetes, a structural tailwind for medically supervised weight‑management drugs and diabetes therapies. Government data and international federations warn of mounting prevalence through the 2030s and 2040s, widening the eligible patient pool and pushing physicians toward newer agents where indicated and accessible. The class’s appeal has also been amplified by global visibility, celebrity discourse, and social media, though Indian experts caution against unsupervised or off‑label use absent medical need and comprehensive lifestyle support.
Outlook: Can Mounjaro Sustain Hypergrowth?
With July netting roughly ₹47 crore and cumulative sales at about ₹98–₹100 crore in four months, Mounjaro could plausibly exceed ₹500 crore in annualized run‑rate in FY2025–26 if supply holds and indications broaden, according to trade press projections and PharmaTrac-linked commentary. Headwinds include potential supply constraints, payer and patient affordability limits at higher doses, and intensifying competition—particularly if semaglutide generics arrive post‑patent expiry and branded rivals expand presence.
For now, physician preference, patient outcomes, and scaled access are reinforcing Mounjaro’s early lead in India’s incretin boom—making it both a bellwether for the anti‑obesity market and a focal point for regulatory and clinical scrutiny as use widens.
