ReutersDanish drug co targets $1billion jackpot in 5-7 yrs, readying for full-scale launch
MUMBAI: Danish drug giant Novo Nordisk is aiming to hit $1 billion (Rs 8,600 crore) sales in India with its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy (semaglutide) in five to seven years. To reach that target, ET learns the company is building on a comprehensive go-to market strategy with industry insiders saying it鈥檚 setting the stage for an unrestricted pan-India launch, which is expected shortly.The achievement of that goal in India, which ranks third in obesity numbers after the US and China, will shatter the record for prescription brand sales. Keytruda, a breakthrough anti-cancer drug from MSD India (part of the US Merck group), is currently the No. 1 in prescription brands, with annual revenue exceeding Rs 1,600 crore, according to market sources.Studies show India has 254 million people with generalised obesity and 351 million with abdominal obesity. Novo Nordisk鈥檚 ambitious sales target stems from its estimate that a significant proportion of them are potential users of such drugs, given the additional benefits to the heart, liver and kidneys.Last year, global sales for Wegovy stood at $8 billion, while Ozempic, the same drug but officially approved for type 2 diabetes, amounted to $17 billion. With a deeply embedded presence in the insulin market, Novo Nordisk dominates with a 62% share of the Rs 4,943 crore market despite competition from lower-priced products.Reducing Cardiovascular Risks Live EventsThe launch of Wegovy is being keenly awaited by doctors and patients, given that Ozempic was the wonder drug that revolutionised the diabetes and weight-loss fields in the US and elsewhere.Novo Nordisk India MD Vikrant Shrotriya declined to share internal sales targets but told ET that Wegovy is readying for a full-scale launch. 鈥淭his is definitely an opportunity for us to touch millions of lives in India and probably billions across the world over a period of time,鈥 he said.He refused to divulge the pricing of the drug in India.Novo Nordisk鈥檚 rival Eli Lilly has fixed the price of a 2.5 mg injection of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) at Rs 3,500, while a 5 mg dose costs Rs 4,375. Patients with chronic weightmanagement issues are typically prescribed a weekly shot of the lower dose initially. The dose escalates after a few weeks.Shrotriya clarified that Wegovy will be launched in flexpen-like devices and can be self-administered, not in vials that will need the drug to be injected with a syringe.鈥淲e are launching all five strengths in FlexTouch (a pen-like device),鈥 he said. A dial allows the user to set the dose. 鈥淎nd then you have four needles inside the pack for self-administration,鈥 he added.Novo Nordisk鈥檚 ambition to race ahead of Mounjaro will be supported by robust clinical data on its benefits in heart patients, in addition to weight loss.The company is taking the drug 鈥渂eyond obesity,鈥 by illustrating clear benefits of cardiovascular risk reduction, according to Shrotriya. 鈥淲e call it the 20-20 strategy 鈥 20% weight loss and 20% cardiovascular risk reduction.鈥漈ESTS ON FOR FATTY LIVERWegovy is being tested for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) or fatty liver, a condition widely found in the Indian population. Studies are also in progress to prove its beneficial impact on chronic kidney diseases, but those labels or indications are yet to be approved by regulatory agencies. In clinical trials, the use of semaglutide indicated a 37% reduction in fatty liver as well as 24% reduced risk of kidney disease.Novo Nordisk鈥檚 resolve to make a quick impact with Wegovy is partly due to the head start that Mounjaro has had in India, having been launched three months ago. Within a short time, it has mopped up revenues of Rs 24 crore, according to data from prescription audit firm PharmaTrac. Also, Novo Nordisk has limited time to consolidate its opportunity.Semaglutide faces patent expiry in March 2026 in India and at least a dozen Indian drug makers are expected to make a splash with generic versions at that time. Last month, Novo Nordisk sued Dr Reddy鈥檚 Laboratories and OneSource in the Delhi High Court over allegations of patent infringement.Mumbai-based diabetes expert Rajiv Kovil is of the view that Wegovy is superior to Mounjaro, data-wise.鈥淚t stands apart as the only antiobesity drug proven to reduce MACE (major cardiovascular events) by 20%, with remarkable outcomes in diabetes and kidney disease, and substantial weight loss results, positioning it as a powerful therapeutic going beyond weight management,鈥 he said.With regard to reports of vision loss linked to semaglutide due to nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), Novo Nordisk told ET that the drug has been studied in robust clinical development programmes with more than 52,000 patients who鈥檝e been exposed to the drug as well as post-marketing use of over 33 million patient years.Based on the totality of evidence, Novo Nordisk said it concluded that the data did not suggest a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship between semaglutide and NAION and that the 鈥渂enefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favourable鈥.The company added: 鈥淭he Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) under the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended updating the EU labels for Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy (all semaglutide brands of Novo Nordisk) to include NAION as a very rare adverse drug reaction. Novo Nordisk will collaborate with EMA to update the labels.鈥(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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