Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is establishing India as a key manufacturing center for global distribution as part of a $1 billion investment plan. The company's weight-loss medication Mounjaro has seen explosive growth in India, doubling sales shortly after launch and becoming their highest-selling product by revenue.
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is positioning India as a central manufacturing location for worldwide distribution, according to a top company official, as the drugmaker moves forward with its previously announced $1 billion commitment to contract manufacturing in the region.
The popularity of Mounjaro, the company’s weight-loss medication, has skyrocketed in India, with sales doubling shortly after its introduction in the South Asian nation. The drug has become Lilly’s highest-revenue product there, highlighting the rising demand for obesity medications in a country expected to rank second globally for obese population by 2050.
Currently operating without its own manufacturing plant in India, the pharmaceutical giant intends to use the nation’s strong contract manufacturing infrastructure to produce medications locally for international distribution as part of its expanded supply network.
“We are actually looking at India to be a hub, part of our global supply chain, and therefore supplying the world,” stated Winselow Tucker, president of Lilly India, during an interview with Reuters at the BioAsia conference in Hyderabad.
“We will continue to look at that (investment) and scale that over time,” Tucker added, though he declined to identify specific contract manufacturers or reveal details about plans for a dedicated facility.
The pharmaceutical company also intends to introduce additional medications to the Indian market, including donanemab for Alzheimer’s treatment and potential future obesity therapies like the experimental oral weight-loss medication orforglipron, pending regulatory clearance, Tucker noted.
In the Indian market, Lilly faces competition from Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of Wegovy.
The world’s most populous country is preparing for a significant expansion in weight-loss drug availability this year as domestic companies rush to introduce lower-cost generic alternatives to Wegovy following the expiration of Novo’s semaglutide patent in India next month.
Novo reduced Wegovy’s pricing by as much as 37% last year in an effort to maintain market position.
Tucker downplayed worries about Mounjaro experiencing similar competitive pressure, explaining that the medication’s formulation provides better effectiveness and would maintain its competitive edge.
“We have priced it (Mounjaro) for value, and we believe it is priced appropriately,” Tucker stated.
Instead, Lilly is concentrating on enhancing digital marketing and social media efforts to increase obesity awareness and extend Mounjaro’s availability to smaller Indian cities. The company has expanded distribution beyond major metropolitan areas through partnerships, including collaborations with Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla and digital healthcare platforms Tata 1MG, Practo and Apollo.