Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro in India: the race to shape a new market for obesity care

Research methodology This case was developed using secondary data sources, including reputable journalism (Reuters, Economic Times, NDTV, Business Standard, India Today, Hindustan Times), industry reports, clinical trial summaries, publicly available company statements and regulatory documentation. All numerical information, quotes and performance metrics are drawn from authenticated public sources. No primary interviews, confidential corporate information or proprietary data sets were used. No material was disguised. As the case uses publicly available secondary information and does not involve human subjects or proprietary data, ethics review board approval was not required. Case overview/synopsis This compact case examines Eli Lilly India’s 2025 launch of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in the rapidly expanding obesity and metabolic care market. Under the leadership of Winselow Tucker, President and general manager of Eli Lilly India, the company introduced Mounjaro using a vial-first strategy aimed at improving trialability and affordability in an out-of-pocket market. The launch created strong early momentum ahead of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and was reinforced by a national awareness campaign and a distribution partnership with Cipla. By late 2025, Mounjaro emerged as India’s highest-selling drug by value. However, competitive pressures, including Novo Nordisk’s price cuts, rising affordability expectations and impending semaglutide generics, created new uncertainties for Lilly. Tucker faced a strategic dilemma: whether to defend Mounjaro’s premium positioning, adjust pricing architecture, leverage partnerships for scale or accelerate the development of oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies to secure long-term leadership in India’s evolving obesity-care market. Complexity academic level This case is designed for MBA, executive MBA and upper-level undergraduate courses in: The case is suitable for in-seat, hybrid and online synchronous discussion formats.