Indian drugmakers Eris Lifesciences, Wockhardt and Lupin are prepping to cash in when Danish company Novo Nordisk bows out of the human insulin pen market by the end of this year and creates an opportunity estimated to be worth Rs 600-800 crore in the domestic market.
Some self-use disposable pens are pre-filled with insulin and others can be reused with new cartridges.
Human insulin in vials has to be administered through conventional syringes.
While Novo is phasing out Penfill and FlexPen in India, its human insulin portfolio (Mixtard, Actrapid and Insulatard) will continue to be available in the vial form.
Ahmedabad-based Eris Lifesciences is positioning itself to capture Novo’s market share with pen-fills from November or December this year once its Bhopal facility is commissioned in the fourth quarter of FY26.
“We expect that Novo’s cartridge inventory in the market will run out by October.
"So this market opportunity is something that one can start monetising,” said an executive for Eris Lifesciences.
Novo said that the pipeline available at stockists and retailers will be phased out at different times based on use.
“However, in a widespread market like India, it is difficult to predict the exact timelines of its unavailability,” the company said.
Wockhardt seeks to expand manufacturing capacity for human insulin pen two to threefold over the next 24 to 36 months. Lupin and MJ Biopharm are also preparing their strategies.
“Novo Nordisk, which is the largest insulin company in the world, has decided to discontinue its disposable insulin pens and cartridges, so that they can have a larger focus on semaglutide and other GLP-1 analogs, where their capacity is not able to meet the demand,” said Murtaza Khorakiwala, managing director of Wockhardt, in an earnings call for the June quarter.
That opens up space for existing players in the insulin market.
“The equivalent market in India is about Rs 450 crore and in emerging markets is another $157 million,” he said, adding that Wockhardt is well-positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.
The entry of various players may not change insulin prices, which are capped under the National List of Essential Medicines.
“MRPs [maximum retail prices] are unlikely to correct materially but we estimate a 15 per cent moderation in net realisations as incremental capacity comes on stream from late FY26,” said Nirali Shah, a pharma analyst at Ashika group.
Novo Nordisk said it is working to “minimise disruption”.
The company is “actively engaged with health authorities, healthcare professionals, trade partners and patients to facilitate a smooth transition to alternative treatment options, early on.
"Ensuring continued access to effective diabetes care remains a top priority.”
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