Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk on Tuesday launched its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in India, three months after Eli Lilly began marketing its rival product Mounjaro in the world's most populous nation.

Wegovy is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that acts on key areas of the brain involved in appetite regulation and food intake thereby reducing hunger, improving satiety and reducing cravings for food, eventually inducing weight loss.

Novo Nordisk is banking on its pen-filled device and insulin leadership in India to gain a strong market share despite competitor Eli Lilly’s early mover advantage, and future competition from cheaper generics.