Emcure Pharmaceuticals, which is bringing Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster semaglutide to India in an exclusive partnership, is banking on the perceived superiority and brand recognition of the innovator molecule, as a steady stream of weight-loss generics prepare for launch.
Top Indian drugmakers are rolling out cheaper semaglutide generics starting Saturday as the original molecule’s patent expires on Friday, portending intense competition. Novo’s semaglutide is a biological molecule—97% similar to natural body chemicals and enzymes— and the Emcure expects it may continue to be preferred by specialists for its efficacy, tolerability and side-effect profile. Generics are synthetic versions of the original semaglutide.
In November, Pune-based Emcure tied up with Novo Nordisk to market semaglutide and launched it under the Poviztra brand name on 22 December. The drugmaker is banking on the ‘innovator edge’ as well as its brand establishment activities over the past three months to secure long-term market dominance, Emcure’s said Samit Mehta, executive director of operations at Emcure.
“One is that Novo obviously has a very strong franchise with endocrinologists and diabetologists…but given that this (semaglutide) has many more indications, could we go out and reach out to a few more specialties where Emcure has a strong presence?” Mehta said.
Emcure is India’s second-largest drugmaker in the gynaecology segment, and has been expanding its dermatology and cardiovascular (in partnership with Sanofi) portfolios this fiscal year. The company is also banking on geographic reach, with plans to enter tier-2 and -3 cities deeper. A fifth of its 5,000-strong salesforce is working on marketing the drug.
“More than a thousand sales reps in Emcure across four divisions are now promoting this product,” Mehta said.
The company has gained ground in the past three months. While Mehta declined to share details, monthly sales data shows semaglutide has picked up well, despite rival Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide having an early advantage. Its unit sales have increased from 12,000 in December 2025 to 25,000 in February 2026, according to Pharmarack.
Price war
GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide works by mimicking a natural hormone that signals the brain to feel full and slows down digestion, helping one eat less and lose weight more effectively.
An intense price war is anticipated as generics launch, undercutting the innovator molecule. Natco Pharma was the first to announce its pricing on Friday – launching the drug at ₹1,290-1,750 per month for its vial dosages, sharply below Novo’s ₹8,790 per month for the starting dose in a pen device. Natco’s pen device is roughly 50% cheaper at ₹4,000 per month for the starting dose.
While generics will fight on the price point, Emcure is banking on its “innovator edge” with a biological molecule, as well as patented pen device to cater to specialists.
In an earlier interview, Emcure told Mint that it was partnering with well-known celebrities and influencers for an awareness campaign on obesity as a disease, aiming to reach consumers directly in addition to marketing the drug to specialists and physicians.
A recent directive by the apex drug regulator has put strict curbs on “surrogate advertising” for GLP-1s, anticipating intense competition and marketing tactics as generics enter the market.
However, Emcure will continue building awareness with healthcare providers as well as with patients, Vikas Thapar, president of corporate development, strategy and finance, said.
The entry of generics will only expand the market, said Thapar. “You’ll have different demographics and affordability,” he said. Physicians will be able to assess the requirements among the many brands of the same molecule available, he said.