Novo Nordisk launched Ozempic in India on Friday, pricing the 0.25 milligram dose at $24.35 per week as it targets a fast-growing diabetes and obesity market where demand for weight-loss treatments is surging.

Ozempic will be sold in a pen format in 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg doses, the drugmaker said.

Novo set monthly prices at 8,800 Indian rupees for the 0.25mg dose, 10,170 rupees for 0.5mg and 11,175 rupees for 1mg. Each pen contains four weekly doses.

Ozempic, a once-weekly injectable approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for type 2 diabetes, has become a global bestseller and is widely used off-label for weight loss due to its appetite-suppressing effects. It also protects patients from the risk of cardiovascular events and kidney issues, Novo said.

“Ozempic also helps people with weight loss of up to eight kilogrammes in people with diabetes … So, this medication has benefits beyond glycemic control,” Novo Nordisk India head Vikrant Shrotriya said.

India has the second-highest number of people with type 2 diabetes after China, as well as rising obesity rates, making it a critical battleground for drugmakers vying for a share of the fast-growing weight-loss treatment market.

Analysts expect the segment to reach $150 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Novo had planned to launch Ozempic in India this month, Reuters reported earlier, to gain a foothold before domestic generic players roll out cheaper versions. Semaglutide goes off patent in March 2026.