ArdorComm Media News Network
July 10, 2026
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has launched Awiqli, its once-weekly basal insulin injection, in India, offering adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes an alternative to conventional daily insulin therapy. The company announced the launch on July 9, with the product set to become available across the country next week.
Awiqli, also known by its generic name insulin icodec, is the world’s first clinically approved once-weekly long-acting basal insulin. By requiring just 52 injections annually instead of 365, the treatment aims to improve patient convenience and adherence to insulin therapy.
Novo Nordisk has priced the weekly dose of 70 insulin units at ₹261. The product will be available in two pre-filled pen formats: a 1 ml pen containing 700 units priced at ₹2,611, and a 3 ml pen with 2,100 units priced at ₹7,833. According to the company, this makes the therapy competitively priced compared to existing daily basal insulin options, which cost between ₹345 and ₹453 for an equivalent weekly dose.
The company highlighted the significant diabetes burden in India, where more than 101 million people are living with diabetes, while another 136 million are estimated to have prediabetes. It also noted that insulin therapy is often initiated 7–9 years later than recommended, largely due to concerns over frequent injections, pain, and treatment costs.
India currently has around 6 million people receiving insulin therapy, and Novo Nordisk expects that figure to increase to 9 million in the coming years as awareness and access improve.
According to market estimates by IMARC, India’s insulin market is projected to expand from $660.5 million in 2025 to $916.4 million by 2034, supported by the rising prevalence of diabetes driven by sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and genetic factors.
Earlier this year, Awiqli received regulatory approval in the United States and has also been cleared for use in the European Union and several other countries. India becomes the seventh country to introduce the once-weekly insulin.
The new therapy is expected to compete with established basal insulin brands, including Sanofi’s Lantus, as well as insulin glargine products marketed by Indian pharmaceutical companies such as Biocon, Eris Lifesciences, and Lupin. Novo Nordisk is also strengthening its presence in India’s rapidly growing obesity treatment market, where it faces competition from Eli Lilly and several domestic drug manufacturers.
Source: REUTERS