Danish drug major Novo Nordisk seems to be withstanding stiff competition from generic players after its global blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drug semaglutide lost patent protection in India on March 20. Post patent-expiry, 26 brands from 13 companies, including Novo Nordisk, are being marketed in India.

The medicine sales data of Indian Pharmaceutical Market (IPM) analysed by market intelligence firm Pharmatrac shows that for the month of March, Novo Nordish managed to hold its ground despite launch of multiple generic brands of GLP 1 agonist semaglutide during the last 10 days of March.

The India revenue from Novo Nordisk’s three semaglutide brands – Rybelsus (oral formulation) and Wegovy and Ozempic (injectables) – together was Rs 45 crore in March, less than Rs 47 crore in February 2026, despite generic competition in March, Pharmatrac data shows. Generic semaglutide brands from Torrent fetched Rs 4.7 crore in revenue, while Dr Reddy’s Labs’ brands together garnered Rs 1.9 crore in March. Zydus Healthcare and Lupin both saw their semaglutide brands garner Rs 1.4 crore each last month. The sales numbers indicate market expansion, while Novo Nordisk brands managing to ward off the competition to some extent.

In an industry presentation, Pharmatrac analyst Sheetal Sapale said innovator driven efficacy, increased share of voice due to partnerships with pharma companies Emcure and Abbott and bringing the pricing at par with some key generics may play a significant role in future for the Novo Nordisk in the semaglutide market.

“Some more aggressive launches may be seen in the next few days. Exponential growth phenomenon may be repeated for the month of April 26 as well”, she said.

Incidentally, the patent expiry of semaglutide has impacted the sales of the market leader in GLP-1 class of medicines - tirzepatide of Eli Lilly. Lilly’s molecule which is still under patent protection in India saw its sales dip 21% to Rs 114 crore in March, as compared to Rs 135 crore in February 2026. This is the first time tirzepatide has shown a drop in sales ever since it was launched in March 2025. Top 10 players in the overall Indian GLP-1 agonist market are Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Cipla, Torrent, Lupin, Eris, Dr Reddys, Zydus Healthcare, Glenmark and Sun Pharma, Pharmatrac data shows.