A weekly insulin shot just launched in India, and the price is set to undercut expectations

Novo Nordisk has priced its newly launched once-weekly insulin, Awiqli, at Rs 261 per week in India, positioning the drug directly against established basal insulin brands like Sanofi’s Lantus, along with a range of lower-cost insulin glargine products from domestic manufacturers.

Launched in India on July 9, Awiqli is known generically as insulin icodec and is described by the company as the world’s first once-weekly basal insulin approved for clinical use. Traditional basal insulin is typically injected once every 24 hours; Awiqli works across a full week instead, cutting the injection count from 365 a year down to 52.

India becomes the seventh market globally to receive the therapy, following earlier approvals in the US, the European Union, and other countries. Novo Nordisk is entering a domestic insulin market that IMARC projects will grow from $660.5 million in 2025 to $916.4 million by 2034, driven largely by rising diabetes rates tied to sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, and genetic predisposition among Indians.

The drug is backed by the global ONWARDS Phase 3 clinical programme, which involved more than 4,000 adults worldwide, including participants from India, and found the once-weekly insulin achieved a greater reduction in HbA1c along with improved time in range compared with once-daily insulin glargine U100, with a safety profile the company describes as comparable. Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director of Novo Nordisk India, said the company believes the drug will reduce the psychological and physical barriers that keep many patients from starting insulin therapy.