Torrent Pharma captured nearly 38% semaglutide market share within launch’s first month.
Oral and injectable semaglutide offerings helped Torrent outperform major pharmaceutical rivals significantly.
India’s anti-obesity drug market surged sharply amid growing GLP-1 demand nationwide.
Torrent Pharma, an Ahmedabad-based drug maker, has taken an early lead in the semaglutide market with nearly 38% share within a month of launch, according to The Economic Times.
Over a dozen Indian companies have launched generic versions of the GLP-1 drug used for diabetes and weight management since the expiry of Novo Nordisk’s patent for the innovator molecule in end-March. They generated about ₹44 crore in generic semaglutide sales in April.
1 May 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
Torrent posted about ₹17 crore in sales, far exceeding rivals such as Zydus Lifesciences, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Lupin (about ₹4 crore each), Alkem and Eris (about ₹3.4 crore each) and Sun Pharma and USV (about ₹2.3 crore each).
Torrent is the only Indian company to have launched generic semaglutide in both oral and injectable forms, a key factor that experts say led to its fast pickup.
“Torrent’s early lead appears to be driven by oral semaglutide,” Aasim Maldar, consultant – endocrinologist and diabetologist at Mumbai’s PD Hinduja Hospital told The Economic TImes. According to him, many patients would prefer a tablet over an injection, given the choice.
India’s Weight-Loss Market
India’s anti-obesity drug market is rapidly expanding as global drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro enter the country alongside cheaper generics.
According to a Forbes India report published in April 2026, rising obesity rates, social media influence and falling prices are driving demand, while experts warn about misuse, weak regulation and increasing off-label consumption of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
India’s anti-obesity market experienced huge growth in 2025 with sales surging 115% year-on-year, as new launches in the injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist space, such as tirzepatide and semaglutide, flew off the shelves. The weight-loss market sales soared to ₹1,230 crore in 2025, compared with ₹571 crore in 2024, Business Standard reported in January 2026.
GLP-1 agonists are a class of medications that help regulate blood sugar, increase satiety and slow stomach emptying, leading to weight loss and improved glucose control for type-2 diabetes and obesity. Despite growing popularity, GLP-1 drugs still account for just around 5% of India’s overall anti-diabetes market, which serves more than 100 million people.
