Novo Nordisk Introduces Once-a-Week Insulin Dose Awiqli in India

In July 2026, Novo Nordisk, a drug production company based in Denmark, unveiled its once-a-week insulin shot Awiqli in India. The company is aiming to rival the once-a-day insulin shots that are already present in the market. This drug has already been approved for use in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This weekly dose contains 70 units of insulin and will cost USD 2.74. The company plans to launch Awiqli in India in 2 variants: a 1ml (700 units of insulin) pen, which will cost USD 27, and a 3ml (2100 units of insulin) pen, which will cost USD 81.

Awiqli, which is also called insulin icodec, was approved in the U.S. a few months back, and also in the European Union. India is the seventh country where this drug is being launched. Novo Nordisk is also competing with Eli Lilly and many other generic drug developers in the growing obesity drugs market in the country. This drug is expected to significantly increase the convenience for patients seeking long-term treatment as it cuts down the number of doses to be administered per year from 365 to 52.

India has a significant prevalence of insulin resistance and blood sugar issues, and the number of patients is increasing rapidly due to modern lifestyles, diets, and genetics. Dr. S.K. Wagnoo, an endocrinologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, pointed out that the switch from a daily dose to a weekly dose has decreased the incidence of lower-than-normal levels of blood sugar.

Impact on the Healthcare Industry

According to Precedence Research, the launch of Awiqli in India will significantly impact the healthcare market in terms of long-term treatment adoption and convenience. India has one of the largest numbers of type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients globally. These patients need long-term treatments in the form of regular insulin administration. This major change from daily dose to weekly dose is a big step that will make the treatment convenient and sustainable for a large number of patients. This is expected to boost the adoption of obesity and diabetes treatments among patients of all ages.

Impact on the Diabetes Drug Market

The global diabetes drug market size was valued at USD 75.09 billion in 2025, accounted for USD 79.97 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach around USD 140.95 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 6.50% from 2025 to 2035.

According to Precedence Research, the introduction of Awiqli in India is expected to benefit the diabetes drug market, as it makes the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes much more convenient and less time-consuming. It will also make the treatment affordable in the long term, which broadens its appeal to all economic factions of society. This helps explain why Awiqli is expected to be widely adopted by doctors and patients in India.

This drug also helps to reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia, which used to happen in the daily dose administration case. This side effect is the single biggest fear of patients who are planning to start long-term insulin treatment. Awiqli has shown similar effectiveness to the daily dose drug glargine, which has been used for quite some time now. This proves the effectiveness of Awiqli and reduces the anxiety in the minds of patients regarding the adoption of a new form of treatment. 

Impact on the Type 2 Diabetes Market

The global type 2 diabetes market size accounted for USD 40.09 billion in 2025 and is anticipated to reach around USD 79.25 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 7.05% from 2026 to 2035.

According to Precedence Research, the introduction of Awiqli in India is expected to boost the type 2 diabetes market as more and more people would adopt the weekly treatment as it is much more convenient and sustainable than daily dose treatment. This market involves the research and development of drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The launch of Awiqli in a large population base country like India will trigger the research and clinical trial pipelines of development of more such drugs, which require less frequency of drug administration to make chronic treatments more sustainable.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a prominent drug development company that has long emphasized about their goals to develop treatments for chronic ailments and rare blood diseases. They have developed several pioneering treatments, which have been widely adopted across the world. One such treatment is the insulin pen. Insulin doses have to be kept in cold storage throughout the supply chain, which makes it harder to transport and make available in remote areas. Novo Nordisk is working on this problem to improve the accessibility of its pioneering solutions across the globe. They have also undertaken various initiatives for children with diabetes in underdeveloped and developing countries.