How this works
Medicine. We use the MRP for each dose from the price table in Guide 6: the price of 4 weekly doses (one 4-dose pen), or of 30 days of a daily tablet or injection. We count a year as 52 weekly doses, so a month is about 4.3 doses. That makes 6 months 26 weekly doses and 12 months 52, which is 13 four-dose packs a year. For a daily medicine, a month is about 30.3 days.
Dose steps. "Follow the label's dose steps" moves up the ladder in the medicine's prescribing information. For Wegovy that is 4 weeks each at 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg. Doctors often go slower, and some people stay lower.
My own plan. You set each step in whole weeks, starting from the label's steps; the last step runs to the end. A weekly medicine is 1 dose a week, so a 4-dose pack lasts 4 weeks. A daily medicine is 7 doses a week, priced from its 30-day cost. Weeks become months on the same rule, 52 weeks a year: 26 weeks is 6 months. Left as filled in, it gives the same total as the label's steps.
Doctor visits. We count:
- one visit at the beginning
- one each time the dose changes (a step that keeps the same dose adds none)
- a review at 6 months
- then one every 3 months
The 6-month review follows UK guidance on judging whether to carry on; the 3-monthly pace is our assumption. The fee is the median in-clinic fee of 59 endocrinologists on Practo in 6 cities.
Blood tests. One round at the beginning and one at each 6-month review (our assumption). A round is these tests, from the Indian endocrinologists' list:
- fasting sugar
- HbA1c (your average blood sugar over 2 to 3 months)
- creatinine (a kidney test)
- cholesterol
- liver tests
- TSH (a thyroid test)
We use the median of 7 private lab chains.
These settings rebuild Guide 6's worked example exactly: Wegovy up to 2.4 mg costs ₹88,090 over 6 months and ₹1,99,330 over 12 months.
What this can't tell you
It can't tell you what your pharmacy will charge, or which medicine or dose is right for you. Prices change: Novo Nordisk cut its prices in March 2026, and generic prices may have moved since launch.
Questions people ask
Is this what I'll actually pay?
Treat it as an approximate baseline, not a quote. It uses printed MRPs, median doctor and lab fees, and the label's dose steps. What your doctor charges, your pharmacy's price, how your dose changes and your city can all move the real figure.
How much does Wegovy cost a month in India?
At MRP, one 4-dose pen costs ₹5,660 at 0.25 mg and ₹16,400 at 2.4 mg. We count a year as 52 weekly doses, so a month is about 4.3 doses: about ₹17,770 a month at 2.4 mg. Following the label's dose steps, 6 months (26 doses) of medicine comes to ₹76,610.
Why does the monthly cost go up after the first months?
The label raises the dose in steps, usually every 4 weeks, and higher doses cost more. The first month's price is not what you keep paying.
Is generic semaglutide cheaper?
At launch in March 2026, the makers' prices for a pen of 4 weekly doses ran from ₹1,800 to ₹4,200 at starting doses. At top doses, where a maker published a price, pens ran from ₹4,200 to ₹8,000. Vials are priced separately: Natco's run from ₹1,290 a month for lower strengths to about ₹1,750 for the top strength. A July 2026 report gave an overall span of ₹1,290 to ₹8,000. Branded Wegovy costs ₹5,660 to ₹16,400 for 4 doses.
Does health insurance cover GLP-1 medicines?
Usually not. Standard health insurance pays when you're admitted to hospital. An OPD (outpatient) add-on, for care without a hospital stay, may cover some medicines and tests; check your policy wording.
Why does it say a price is "not published"?
We only use an MRP from the maker, a news report naming the maker's price, the price regulator, or two pharmacy listings that agree. If none exists for a dose, we leave that month out of the total and tell you, instead of guessing.
Why is the Mounjaro price at my pharmacy different?
We use the MRPs printed on pharmacy listings in October 2026: ₹13,125 for the 2.5 mg pen and ₹25,781 at 15 mg. They are lower than Lilly's August 2025 launch MRPs of ₹14,000 to ₹27,500 by exactly the GST cut on medicines, from 12% to 5% on 22 September 2025. The price regulator told makers to pass that cut on as lower MRPs. Pharmacies can also sell below MRP.
