Novo Nordisk, Emcure to launch weight-loss drug under new brand in India

(Reuters) -Novo Nordisk has partnered with India's Emcure Pharmaceuticals to exclusively distribute and market its weight-loss drug under a new brand in the country, the companies said on Monday.

Under the agreement, the Danish drugmaker will sell Poviztra 2.4 milligram (mg) semaglutide injection in India as a separate brand of its blockbuster weight-loss treatment Wegovy.

Shares of Emcure Pharma rose following the announcement, trading 6.5% higher at 1,451 rupees.

Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy in India in June, three months after Eli Lilly introduced its competing weight-loss product Mounjaro in the world's most populous nation.

Wegovy's 2.4 mg dose is priced at 26,015 rupees for a month's supply in India, while pricing for Poviztra was not disclosed.

"This partnership is part of Novo Nordisk India's efforts to ensure its innovative treatments reach a greater number of patients in India," the Danish company said in an exchange filing.

Last month, Eli Lilly also partnered with Cipla to sell its weight-loss drug under a separate brand in India.

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)