Eli Lilly plans to launch its experimental oral weight-loss drug orforglipron in India, a senior executive said on Thursday, offering an alternative to injectables that many patients in the world’s most populous nation resist.
Orforglipron is part of a new class of GLP-1 drugs that suppress appetite and follow the same pathway targeted by Eli Lilly’s blockbuster tirzepatide, sold globally as the blockbuster Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.
The drug has not been launched anywhere globally but Lilly plans to file for approval of orforglipron with regulators in the United States, Britain, European Union, Japan and China.
It was not immediately clear if the drugmaker has started approval procedure for orforglipron in India.
Latest trial data showed Eli Lilly’s experimental pill orforglipron lowered blood sugar and weight more effectively than Novo Nordisk’s older GLP-1 drug Rybelsus in adults with type-2 diabetes.
“There is promise for products like that in India, if it gets approved,” Winselow Tucker, Lilly India’s president, said, speaking at an industry conference panel in Mumbai. He did not give a launch timeline.
People in India would take their tablets rather than inject, Novo Nordisk India head Vikrant Shrotriya said.
Tucker added that stigma and logistical hurdles also weigh on injectables.
Still, both companies remain upbeat on the market. Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Mounjaro, launched earlier this year, have seen demand surge, with sales doubling within months.
“We are seeing growing acceptance of obesity injectables in India,” Shrotriya said.
By Rishika Sadam and Kashish Tandon.
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