India, Nov. 1 -- image credit- shutterstock

The battle for India's diabetes market is no longer simply about who sells the most insulin. It is about who can reach more patients, make treatment affordable and respond to changing preferences. Novo Nordisk's retreat from selected human insulin pens, a once-weekly insulin priced at Rs 261 a week and the influx of generic semaglutide have accelerated this shift. The companies that succeed by 2030 will be those that identify their competitive territory early.

India has never had a shortage of people who need insulin. It has had a shortage of people who get it.

More than 101 million Indians live with diabetes and another 136 million have prediabetes, according to the ICMR-INDIAB figures Novo ...