Eli Lilly's Mounjaro Becomes India's Second-Highest Selling Drug In September

US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly's weight loss drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) recorded Rs 80 crore in revenue in September, making it the second-most sold drug by value in India, according to data from market research firm Pharmarack.

The top-selling drug for the month was GlaxoSmithKline's Augmentin, an antibiotic, which brought in Rs 85 crore in revenue.

Mounjaro's sales in September reflect a sharp 42% increase from the Rs 56 crore recorded in August, driven by growing demand and a gradual patient shift to higher dosages, experts said.

"The demand for Mounjaro has been high, with the drug garnering a cumulative revenue of Rs 233 crore since its launch in the country in March," said Sheetal Sapale, Vice-President (Commercial) at Pharmarack.

Mounjaro is currently sold in two injectable dosages — 2.5 mg and 5 mg, priced between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,500 per month. Existing users typically transition to higher doses after four weeks, while a steady stream of new patients continues to adopt the treatment.

Primarily prescribed for obesity and diabetes, Mounjaro's rising popularity coincides with Eli Lilly receiving approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to market the drug in a ready-to-use prefilled KwikPen format.

India, home to the third-largest overweight and obese population globally, is fast emerging as a significant market for weight-loss therapies. As per the ICMR-INDIAB (India Diabetes) study, the country has 254 million people with generalised obesity and 351 million with abdominal obesity.

A recent revision in the Goods and Services Tax, lowering tax rates on medicines from 12% to 5%, caused temporary disruptions in the pharmaceutical distribution channel in September, according to Pharmarack.

"Confusion among retailers over how GST benefits should be passed on to consumers led to lower purchasing and sales trends for the month," said Sapale.

She added that the supply chain is expected to stabilise over the next couple of months as the market adjusts to the new tax structure.