Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has launched Awiqli (insulin icodec) in India, the world’s first once-weekly basal insulin for adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. India becomes the sixth country to introduce the therapy, which reduces insulin injections from 365 to just 52 a year.
Delivered through the FlexTouch pen device, Awiqli is designed to address one of the biggest barriers to insulin therapy in India—the fear of daily injections, which delays treatment by an average of seven to nine years.
A 700-unit pen is priced at ₹2,611, or ₹3.73 per unit, making it 30–40% cheaper than many daily basal insulins. Patients requiring 10 units daily would need about 70 units weekly, costing roughly ₹261 per week.
Clinical data from the ONWARDS-1 programme showed Awiqli provides superior HbA1c reduction, improved “time in range” and comparable safety to daily insulin glargine, with fewer hypoglycaemia episodes. Experts said the simplified regimen could improve treatment adherence and encourage earlier insulin initiation.
India has over 10.1 crore people with diabetes, 13.6 crore with prediabetes, and more than 9 lakh Type 1 diabetes patients. Novo Nordisk estimates around 60 lakh Indians currently use insulin, though at least twice as many may require it.
The company, which manufactures four of India’s five top-selling insulin brands, distributes its products through Abbott and said the launch marks a major step toward improving diabetes care in the country.
