*

Lilly launches Mounjaro in India, beating Novo Nordisk

*

Mounjaro's 5mg vial priced at around $50, 2.5mg at about

$40

*

Drug's pricing may limit accessibility in India, analyst

says

(Rewrites, adds pricing details, analyst comment)

By Rishika Sadam

HYDERABAD/BENGALURU, March 20 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY )

launched its blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro

in India on Thursday, beating rival Novo Nordisk for a

much-awaited entry into the world's most populous country that

is grappling with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.

U.S.-based Lilly and Danish Novo Nordisk

have seen skyrocketing global demand for their innovative

weight-loss drugs, with investor interest also boosting the

drugmakers' valuations.

Mounjaro, a once-weekly injection approved by India's drug

regulator, is priced at 4,375 rupees ($50.67) for a 5 mg vial

and 3,500 rupees ($40.54) for a 2.5 mg vial, its lowest dose,

the company told Reuters separately.

"The dual burden of obesity and type 2 diabetes is rapidly

emerging as a major public health challenge in India," said

President and General Manager Winselow Tucker at Lilly India.

India, a country of more than 1.4 billion people, has seen

an increase in obesity rates. A government survey conducted

between 2019 and 2021 showed that 24% of women and nearly 23% of

men between the ages of 15 and 49 were either overweight or

obese, up from 20.6% of women and 19% of men in 2015-2016.

Lilly's Mounjaro, chemically known as tirzepatide, is

currently sold in the UK and Europe under the same brand name

for both diabetes and weight-loss. It is sold as Zepbound for

obesity in the U.S.

In the U.S., Mounjaro carries a list price of $1,086.37 for

each fill, while Lilly offers 7.5 mg and 10 mg vials of Zepbound

for $499 a month via its website.

Novo's weight-loss drug Wegovy can cost non-insured U.S.

patients more than $1,000 a month.

"The launch is ahead of Novo Nordisk and the first mover

advantage should help...but pricing seems high (for the Indian

market). At highest dose, a patient will have to spend close to

700,000 rupees (around $8,100) per annum," Vishal Manchanda,

analyst at Systematix Institutional Equities said.

Novo's India team has been pushing the global leadership to

launch Wegovy as early as 2025 in the country as opposed to the

company's previous target of a 2026 launch. The company's shares

were down 1.1% at 0934 GMT, underperforming the broader European

market.

However, Novo is not the only competition Lilly will have to

confront. Indian drugmakers such as Sun Pharma, Cipla

, Dr. Reddy's and Lupin have been

racing to make generic versions of these drugs grab a share of

the global market estimated to be valued at $150 billion in the

next decade.

The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide, which is

likely to go off patent in 2026 in India.

Wegovy and Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic, which has the same

main ingredient, and Mounjaro, belong to a class of therapies

known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that help control blood sugar

and slow digestion, making people feel fuller for longer.

($1 = 86.3425 Indian rupees)