By Rishika Sadam
HYDERABAD (Reuters) -The India launch of Eli Lilly’s popular weight-loss drug Mounjaro has triggered a huge wave of patient enquiries about its availability, with some Indian doctors fielding hundreds of calls about the medicine, according to a Reuters survey.
The survey of 18 doctors, patients and weight-loss clinic operators follows the U.S. drugmaker’s market entry ahead of Danish obesity drug rival Novo Nordisk into a nation expected to have the second-largest population of overweight or obese people by 2050.
“Since the launch of Mounjaro, we have seen a remarkable increase in customer interest,” said Suryansh Kumar, founder of Delhi-based weight management services provider Elevate Now.
Elevate Now fielded more than 200 calls in just a week about Mounjaro, he said in a post on social media.
Mounjaro’s launch has brought cheer to Indian patients who had been relying on friends, family or suppliers abroad to get hold of these drugs.
Bengaluru resident Vikram, a 57-year-old medical professional who did not want his surname published to avoid weight stigma, had obtained the drug from Dubai over the past eight months. He has shed over 23% of his body weight.
“It will be a lot more convenient to get it now,” he said.
Local availability also makes life easier for Indian patients who relied on the black market for weight-loss drugs.
Muffazal Lakdawala, director of surgery at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, said he expects patients who make the switch to Lilly’s authorized drug to pay less than half the black market price.
He also expects Lilly to have an early entry advantage over Novo’s Wegovy, which has the same active ingredient as its diabetes medicine Ozempic that is often used off-label for weight loss.
“A lot of our patients who used to take Ozempic have now switched over to taking Mounjaro because of availability in India,” Lakdawala told Reuters.
‘CREATING RIPPLES’
Novo is looking to bring forward its planned India launch of Wegovy to better compete with Lilly, two sources told Reuters earlier this month.
India’s generic drugmakers are also racing to make cheaper versions of Wegovy in a bid to grab a share of the burgeoning weight-loss market, which Nuvama analysts estimate will reach $175 billion a year globally by 2035.
Novo may also have to price Wegovy more competitively in India after some industry watchers, such as market research firm Pharmarack, said Mounjaro’s launch was “creating ripples” in the Asian nation with its pricing.
Mounjaro, a once-weekly injection approved by India’s drug regulator, is priced at 4,375 rupees ($50.86) for a 5 milligram vial and 3,500 rupees for a 2.5 mg vial, its lowest doses, the company told Reuters. Its highest dose is 15 mg.
A patient in India may have to spend about $200 a month when taking a weekly dose of 5 mg, subject to doctor’s prescription.
Mounjaro carries a list price of $1,079.77 a month in the U.S., although the amount patients pay largely depends on their insurance plan. Zepbound, which has the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, is the brand name for the U.S. weight loss version, with Mounjaro sold for diabetes there.
Lilly offers 5 mg, 7.5 mg and 10 mg vials of Zepbound for $499 and higher for a month’s supply if customers pay cash without any third-party involvement.
Bengaluru-based Manipal Hospitals has seen over a 20% increase in patient queries on weight-loss medication availability, said Abhijit Bhograj, a consultant endocrinologist.
The heightened interest has some doctors urging patients to seek more information before clamoring for the drug.
“There needs to be wider awareness on usage,” said Hyderabad-based bariatric surgeon Amar Vennapusa, who received over 100 calls in two days after announcing Mounjaro availability.
Keerthi Reddy, 32, who underwent bariatric surgery a few years back, took her first Mounjaro shot this week at Vennapusa’s clinic.
“My friends and family living abroad have already tried it and saw good results,” Reddy told Reuters. “I’ve been waiting for it to be available in India.”
($1 = 86.0210 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Rishika Sadam and Almaas Masood in Hyderabad; Kashish Tandon and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Bill Berkrot)
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