Key Highlights:
- Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) has been approved by India’s CDSCO for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious form of fatty liver disease. The approval covers the 2.4 mg injectable dose, adding a new indication to Wegovy’s existing use for chronic weight management.
- MASH is driven by fat accumulation in the liver and can lead to inflammation, liver damage, and more severe complications. Novo Nordisk estimates that around two in three people in India have fatty liver disease, highlighting a significant potential patient population for the therapy.
- The approval strengthens Novo Nordisk’s position in India’s growing obesity and metabolic disease market, where Wegovy competes with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and lower-cost semaglutide products from local drugmakers. Novo sold around 76,000 Wegovy units in India during H1 2026.
Implications:
Wegovy’s new MASH indication turns semaglutide into a dual liver–weight disease asset in India, opening a large, under-treated fatty liver market (about two in three adults) and strengthening Novo Nordisk’s position against Lilly’s Mounjaro and generic semaglutide by adding a high-value hepatic label on the same 2.4 mg injectable dose that is already used for obesity.
Source: Reuters
