Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has launched its weight loss drug Wegovy as a once-a-week injection in India on June 24, and will be available in pharmacies by the end of the month.
Wegovy is a once a week injectable drug, launched in five dosage forms of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.75 mg and 2.4 mg, available in easy-to-use pen devices.
Pricing Details
The 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg dosage of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy will cost Rs 17,345 for a month. A higher dose form of 1.75 mg will cost Rs 24,280 a month, while 2.4 mg dose will be for Rs 26,050, working out to be Rs 4,366 per week for an injection.
The drug will follow a four-week cycle for dosage, starting with the smallest dose of 0.25 mg per week for four weeks, followed by a gradual increase in dosage of 0.5 mg per week for a month and 1 mg per week for another month. After that, the doctor who prescribed the drug will take a call based on the outcome, on whether to increase the dose further, maintain, or reduce.
Wegovy is the first and only weight management medication for chronic weight management and cardiovascular diseases. The drug is prescribed for people above a body mass index (BMI) of 30 without co-morbidities and for BMI of below 27 with co-morbidities.
The company has clarified that it has no plans on local manufacturing for Wegovy in India, as of now. Novo Nordisk already has an oral Semaglutide available in India, launched in 2022, which the management said has been accepted well.
This is being updated
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