Mounjaro has emerged as the biggest-selling brand in India’s fast-growing GLP-1 medicines market, while the overall segment reached ₹2,333 crore in value for the 12 months ended August.
The number behind the boom
Pharmarack’s PharmaTrac data reported by The Indian Express shows the GLP-1 segment grew 74% in units in August. The market value for the 12 months ended August reached ₹2,333 crore.
Injectable medicines are driving most of that expansion. They accounted for about ₹2,010 crore, or roughly 86% of the market, compared with ₹348 crore a year earlier.
Why Mounjaro is at the centre
Mounjaro is Eli Lilly’s brand of tirzepatide, a prescription medicine used in diabetes care and also associated with weight management under medical supervision. Tirzepatide accounted for ₹1,456 crore, or 62% of the GLP-1 market in the reported data, while semaglutide accounted for ₹782 crore, or 34%.
The shift shows how quickly the Indian market has moved from a relatively small specialist category to a major pharmaceutical segment watched by patients, doctors and drug companies.
What changed in India
The arrival of injectable tirzepatide and semaglutide in 2025 changed the composition of the market. Generic versions have also widened access for some patients, according to industry data cited in the report.
That growth does not mean the medicines are appropriate for everyone. GLP-1 therapies are prescription treatments with indications, contraindications, side effects and monitoring requirements that depend on the individual patient.
Why this matters beyond weight-loss trends
The commercial story is tied to India’s much larger diabetes and obesity burden. A rapidly expanding market suggests more people are discussing and seeking newer metabolic treatments, but it also raises questions about affordability, long-term use, supply, responsible prescribing and unrealistic expectations created by social media.
For readers, the key point is not that a particular medicine has become fashionable; it is that an entire treatment category is scaling at a remarkable pace in India.
Medical note: This article is for news and general information only. Prescription GLP-1 medicines should be used only under qualified medical supervision.
Source: The Indian Express. Bilibilii has independently rewritten and contextualised the reported facts.
Featured image: Bilibilii editorial graphic. It is illustrative and should not be treated as documentary evidence of the event.