New Delhi: Danish pharmaceutical major Novo Nordisk on Thursday launched Awiqli, its once-weekly basal insulin injection, in India for adults with diabetes.
The company is introducing Awiqli in two pen presentations of 700 units and 2,100 units, with a per-unit cost of ₹3.73, Novo Nordisk India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya told PTI.
"It is a modern therapy, and India is the seventh country to launch the injection," he added.
Explaining the advantages of Awiqli, Shrotriya said that patients with diabetes undergoing conventional insulin therapy usually have to take insulin injections every day, which often discourages them from starting insulin treatment because they believe they will need injections daily for life.
The once-weekly Awiqli injection "reduces one of the barriers because people often avoid insulin due to the need for daily injections," he said.
"When patients get the convenience of a once-a-week injection, along with blood sugar control that is slightly better than currently available basal insulin therapies, it removes a significant barrier. That is what medicine aims to do—either offer greater effectiveness or greater convenience," Shrotriya added.
He said Awiqli will be available across India through the company's network of 4,500 distributors.
The company said Awiqli will transform insulin therapy for people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus from a once-daily routine to a once-weekly injection, reducing the annual injection burden from 365 to just 52.
Shrotriya said that for more than a century, Novo Nordisk has pursued one ambition—to make insulin therapy simpler, safer and more accessible for patients.
"Once-weekly dosing has long been an aspiration in our field. Today, it is a reality for India," he said.
Shrotriya further said, "We believe Awiqli will reduce the psychological and physical barriers to insulin initiation and ultimately help more people achieve better glucose control and a better quality of life."
Stating that India is at the epicentre of the global diabetes epidemic, the company said, "The scale of the problem, and the barriers to managing it, make Awiqli's arrival particularly timely."
More than 101 million people in India are living with diabetes—one of the highest burdens globally, it added.
In December last year, the company launched its blockbuster Type 2 diabetes treatment injection, Ozempic, in India. The drug is globally popular for its weight-loss benefits.
