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GLP‑1 medicines,
explained for India

Start with your health, not a brand name. What Indian weight numbers mean, your options, the risks, and where medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro fit.

Do I have obesity?Is it for me?Side effectsOzempic vs Mounjaro
We don't sell medicines Every fact has a source Prices checked monthly

Where are you starting from?

Pick the one closest to you. We'll take you through just the guides you need, in order, and each one tells you what to read next.

Or read all nine guides

From understanding GLP‑1s to living with one, in four stages. Each guide ends with a link to the next.

Stage 1Understand

Guide 1 · UnderstandWeight and health in IndiansDo I have obesity? What Indian BMI and waist numbers mean.
Guide 2 · UnderstandWhat GLP‑1s doHow they act on your gut, brain and appetite.

Stage 2Decide

Guide 3 · DecideYour optionsFood, activity, other medicines, GLP‑1s and surgery, side by side.
Guide 4 · DecideShould I consider a GLP‑1?Who they may suit, and when not to.
Guide 5 · DecideSide effects and risksCommon and serious effects, and when to get help.

Stage 3Do it safely

Guide 6 · Do it safelySeeing a doctor, and the medicinesWho may prescribe, brands, generics, recalls and fakes.
Guide 7 · Do it safelyChoosing a doctor, clinic or programmeApps, clinics and programmes: what they offer, how they charge, what to check.

Stage 4Live with it

Guide 8 · Live with itLife on a GLP‑1Food and protein, injecting, festivals and fasting.
Guide 9 · Live with itStopping and the long termWhat happens after, and the cost over the years.

Free tools

Check your numbers, see if a GLP‑1 could be an option, work out the cost and get ready for your doctor. No sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your device.

BMI and waist for IndiansSee where you sit against the Indian health-risk cut-offs
Could it be an option for me?A 1-minute check against India's 2025 guideline
Cost calculatorThe 6- and 12-month total for a medicine and dose
Before you see a doctorQuestions to take along to your appointment

Prices in India

All brandsComing soon

What a month costs at the starting dose and at the full dose, grouped by medicine. Checked 5 Oct 2026.

Before you go further. These are prescription-only medicines. A government statement of 1 April 2026 said only endocrinologists, internal-medicine specialists and cardiologists can prescribe them.5 CDSCO expert-committee minutes attach a similar condition to some approvals (endocrinologist or internal-medicine specialist), but we found no rule covering every brand.25,26 They have real risks: read Side effects and risks first. A lower price doesn't make a medicine right for you.
By medicine
MedicineTypeFormStarting dose / monthFull dose / month
SemaglutideWeekly injection 5
OzempicNovo Nordisk · approved for type 2 diabetesBrandPenStarting dose₹5,6600.25 mg · since Apr 202610Full dose₹9,1001 mg · since Apr 202610
WegovyNovo Nordisk · approved for weight managementBrandPenStarting dose₹5,6600.25 mg · since Apr 202610Full dose₹16,4002.4 mg · unchanged by the cut10
PoviztraNovo Nordisk, sold by Emcure · a second Wegovy brandBrandPenStarting dose₹3,9990.25 mg11Full dose₹8,9992.4 mg11
Generic semaglutideMany companies, including Alkem, Dr Reddy's, Glenmark, Natco, Sun Pharma, Torrent and Zydus · some for diabetes onlyGenericPenVialStarting dose₹1,800–4,200pens, 4 doses · launch MRPs, Mar 2026 · vials separately, from ₹1,29013,24,2,17Full dose₹4,200–8,000pens, top doses, where makers published one · top-strength vial about ₹1,75024,23,2
Obeda, Semalix, UsemaDr Reddy's, Torrent, USVGenericPenSome batches recalled (July 2026).4 What to check →
SemaglutideDaily tablet 1
RybelsusNovo Nordisk · approved for type 2 diabetesBrandTabletStarting dose₹8,916 to ₹9,5103 mg · MRP as listed by pharmacies, checked 5 Oct 202619Full dose₹10,88414 mg · MRP as listed by pharmacies, checked 5 Oct 202619
TirzepatideWeekly injection 2
MounjaroEli Lilly · approved for type 2 diabetes and weightBrandPenStarting dose₹13,1252.5 mg · MRP as listed by pharmacies, checked 5 Oct 202622,12Full dose₹25,78115 mg · ₹16,406 at 5 mg22
YurpeakMade by Eli Lilly, sold by Cipla · same medicine as MounjaroBrandPenStarting doseNot publishedCipla says same price as Mounjaro18Full doseNot published
LiraglutideDaily injection 2
VictozaNovo Nordisk · approved for type 2 diabetesBrandPenStarting doseNot publishedFull doseNot published
LirafitGlenmark · approved for type 2 diabetesGenericPenStarting doseAbout ₹3,0001.2 mg · Jan 2024 launch20Full doseNot published
DulaglutideWeekly injection 1
TrulicityEli Lilly · approved for type 2 diabetesBrandPenStarting dose₹11,3380.75 mg · MRP as listed by pharmacies, checked 5 Oct 202621Full dose₹11,3381.5 mg · MRP as listed by pharmacies, checked 5 Oct 202621
All prices are MRP (the maker's list price), per month: four weekly doses or 30 days of tablets. Pharmacies and clinics may charge less or more. Where no maker or news source gives an MRP, we say “Not published”. Full dose = the highest dose sold in India for that use. Grouped by medicine, original brand first. Not sorted by price, and not a recommendation. Your doctor sets the medicine and the dose. Sources 2, 4, 10–13, 17–21. Same figures as Guide 6.

Latest updates

What's changed in India, newest first.

All updatesComing soon

Common questions

Short answers, each with its source.

Is Ozempic available in India?
Yes. Novo Nordisk launched Ozempic in India on 12 December 2025. Here it's approved for type 2 diabetes, so using it for weight loss is off-label. Wegovy, the same medicine at higher doses, is approved for weight management.14,10
Is a GLP‑1 right for me?
Only a doctor who knows your health history can say. These medicines are approved to treat type 2 diabetes or obesity, alongside changes to food and activity.9,14 They are not for losing a few kilos before an event. Read Should I consider a GLP‑1? and Side effects and risks before you see a doctor.
What are the side effects?
The most common are nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation and stomach pain, mostly when starting or raising the dose. Less common but serious: inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder problems, and kidney injury from dehydration. The US label also carries a thyroid tumour warning, and the medicine should not be used in pregnancy.9 More in Side effects and risks.
What's the difference between Mounjaro and Ozempic?
Mounjaro is tirzepatide, which acts on two gut hormones (GLP‑1 and GIP). Ozempic is semaglutide, which acts on one. In a head-to-head trial in adults with obesity, average weight loss was larger on tirzepatide. Results varied a lot between people, and stomach side effects were common on both.7
Are Indian generics the same as the original?
They contain the same molecule and need approval from CDSCO, India's drug regulator. Some, like Alkem's, ran their own trials in India. Quality varies by maker: some batches were recalled in July 2026.13,4
What happens when you stop taking it?
Weight usually comes back. A year after stopping semaglutide, trial participants had regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost.8
Who shouldn't take a GLP‑1?
Anyone who is pregnant, among others. The US label also rules them out for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2. A doctor will check your history first.9
What BMI counts as obesity for Indians?
India's 2009 consensus uses lower cut-offs than Western ones: overweight from a BMI of 23, obesity from 25. A waist over 90 cm in men or 80 cm in women is also a warning sign.15 A newer 2025 proposal goes further; the guide below explains it. These numbers mark health risk. They don't decide whether you need medicine. More in Weight and health in Indians.

All questions

Explainers and quick answers

Longer articles on costs, rules, side effects and daily life, plus short answers to single questions.

Blog51 in-depth articlesQuestions49 short answers

The monthly India update

New brands, price changes and recalls. Once a month, nothing else.

An independent guide: no drug-company money, no clinic commissions.

Sources (26)
  1. IPFray, "Another semaglutide generic enters India as Novo Nordisk patent expires", March 2026.
  2. BusinessToday, "NATCO opens semaglutide market at ₹1,290, sets early price benchmark", 20 March 2026. Link
  3. BusinessToday, "Why is India's obesity drug market thinning despite the GLP-1 rush", 10 June 2026.
  4. Medical Dialogues, "Recalls by Dr Reddy's, Torrent put spotlight on quality standards in India's semaglutide market", July 2026.
  5. Press Information Bureau (PIB Research), "GLP-1 Drugs: Use, Risks, and Regulation" ("In India, GLP-1 drugs can only be prescribed by endocrinologists, internal medicine specialists, and cardiologists"), 1 April 2026. PDF. Also reported by Outlook India, 1 April 2026.
  6. Wilding JPH et al., "Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity" (STEP 1), NEJM, 2021.
  7. Aronne LJ et al., "Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity" (SURMOUNT-5), NEJM, 2025.
  8. Wilding JPH et al., "Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide", Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022.
  9. Novo Nordisk, Wegovy (semaglutide) US prescribing information.
  10. Business Standard, "As generics wave builds up, Novo Nordisk slashes Ozempic, Wegovy prices" (Ozempic ₹5,660–9,100, Wegovy ₹5,660–16,400 a month, quoting Novo Nordisk India), 31 March 2026. Link
  11. BusinessToday, "Emcure cuts prices of Novo's semaglutide brand Poviztra by up to 55%", 2 April 2026; Medical Dialogues, "Emcure cuts Poviztra price by 55%, starting dose now ₹3,999 per month" (₹3,999 for 0.25 mg to ₹8,999 for 2.4 mg), 4 April 2026. Link
  12. Business Standard (citing Reuters), "Mounjaro KwikPen by Lilly debuts in India at ₹14,000 for diabetes, obesity" (2.5 mg ₹14,000; 5 mg ₹17,500; 7.5 and 10 mg ₹22,000; 12.5 and 15 mg ₹27,500 for a one-month supply), 13 August 2025. These launch MRPs came before the GST on medicines fell from 12% to 5% on 22 September 2025; today's MRPs are in source 22. Link
  13. Alkem Laboratories, semaglutide launch press release ("pre-filled disposable injection pen, containing four doses for a month, at an affordable price starting INR 1,800"), 21 March 2026. PDF
  14. Business Standard, "Novo Nordisk launches Ozempic in India", 12 December 2025.
  15. Misra A et al., "Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity in Asian Indians", JAPI, 2009.
  16. Medical Dialogues, "Eli Lilly's orforglipron tablet gets CDSCO panel nod for import, marketing in India", June 2026.
  17. Pearce IP, "Generic semaglutide launches in India, including by Dr Reddy's, Zydus, Alkem, Sun Pharma, Glenmark", 21 March 2026.
  18. Cipla, "Cipla launches Yurpeak (tirzepatide) for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes" ("the price will be the same as Mounjaro"), press release, 10 December 2025. PDF
  19. Rybelsus MRP per strip of 10 tablets (3 mg ₹2,972; 14 mg ₹3,628), as listed by two pharmacies that agree (PharmEasy; Medkart ₹2,971.88 and ₹3,628.13). No maker or NPPA figure found. Checked 5 October 2026. Month = 30 tablets, our arithmetic. On 11 Oct 2026, PharmEasy gave the 3 mg MRP as ₹3,170 a strip ("since October 2026"), while Medkart still listed ₹2,971.88.
  20. Business Standard, "Glenmark cuts diabetes drug cost by 70% with first Indian biosimilar launch" (Lirafit about ₹100 for a 1.2 mg daily dose), 3 January 2024. Link
  21. Trulicity MRP ₹5,669.06 per pack of 2 pens at 0.75 mg and 1.5 mg, as listed by pharmacies that agree (Tata 1mg, Truemeds, MrMed). No maker or NPPA figure found. Checked 5 October 2026. Month = 2 packs, our arithmetic.
  22. Mounjaro KwikPen MRP per pen of 4 doses, as listed by pharmacies that agree (PharmEasy, updated 1 October 2026; MrMed; Tata 1mg): 2.5 mg ₹13,125; 5 mg ₹16,406; 7.5 and 10 mg ₹20,625; 12.5 and 15 mg ₹25,781. These equal Lilly's August 2025 launch MRPs less the GST cut on medicines from 12% to 5% on 22 September 2025 (₹14,000 × 105/112 = ₹13,125). Checked 5 October 2026.
  23. Sun Pharma, press release on Noveltreat and Sematrinity (Noveltreat "weekly therapy costs, from initiation to the highest dose, range from approximately ₹900 to ₹2,000"; ₹2,000 × 4 = ₹8,000, our arithmetic), 21 March 2026. PDF
  24. Dr Reddy's Laboratories, press release on Obeda (semaglutide) 2 mg and 4 mg pens, "INR 4,200 per month for both the strengths", 21 March 2026. Link
  25. CDSCO, Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology & Metabolism), recommendations of 20–21 April 2023, tirzepatide ("The drug should be sold by retail under prescription of Endocrinologist or internal medicine specialists only"). PDF · Archived copy
  26. CDSCO, Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology & Metabolism), recommendations of 13–14 February 2024, semaglutide (approved warning: "To be sold by retail on the prescription of an Endocrinologist, and Internal medicine"). PDF · Archived copy