Mumbai, Nov. 4 -- For years, GlaxoSmithKline's Augmentin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, held a place at the top of India's pharmaceutical sales charts. Its reign reflected the economics of a market built on scale, volume and affordable medicines. That pecking order has now been overturned by GLP-1 drugs, sought after for weight-loss and diabetes treatment. Eli Lilly's patented Mounjaro has emerged as the country's top-selling drug by sales.

The rise of Mounjaro points to a shift in a market long dominated by generics: Indian patients are increasingly willing to pay a premium for newer therapies-even for generics that are priced at a premium.

The entry of generic semaglutide after Novo Nordisk's patent expired in March 2026 has unleashed ...