Once-a-Week Insulin Awiqli Launched In India: How it Works And Who Can Use It

For millions of Indians living with diabetes, insulin therapy often means planning life around a daily injection. That routine could soon become much simpler. Novo Nordisk has launched Awiqli, the world’s first once-a-week basal insulin approved for clinical use, giving adults with diabetes a new treatment option that cuts the number of insulin injections from 365 a year to just 52. The rollout is significant for India, where more than 101 million people are living with diabetes and another 136 million have prediabetes, making the country one of the world’s biggest diabetes hotspots.

Reportedly, the launch also puts India among the first countries in the world to introduce Awiqli, reflecting the growing demand for advanced diabetes care as the disease continues to rise because of sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets and genetic factors.

Why Awiqli could make insulin therapy easier for millions of Indians

Unlike conventional basal insulin that has to be injected every day, Awiqli is designed to work continuously for an entire week. Patients take the injection once every seven days using a pre-filled pen, instead of remembering a dose every 24 hours.

As per reports, the drug consists of insulin icodec that will be attached to the blood protein albumin. This gives the drug an opportunity to stay longer inside the body in order to provide a continuous supply of insulin in the background. The injection should be administered subcutaneously on the stomach, thigh, and upper arm of a patient, and its dose depends on blood glucose level.

Who can use Awiqli and what makes it different from daily insulin

The new treatment is meant for adults with diabetes, but its use depends on the type of diabetes a person has. Patients with Type 1 diabetes must continue taking short-acting insulin with meals while using Awiqli. For those with Type 2 diabetes, it can be prescribed either as a standalone treatment or alongside other diabetes medicines, including rapid-acting insulin if needed.

Reports say that Novo Nordisk India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya said India is the seventh country to launch Awiqli. He further said the company hopes the once-a-week treatment will remove the psychological and physical barriers that discourage many patients from starting insulin therapy.

Awiqli enters a growing insulin market as competition heats up

Although Awiqli has already been approved in the United States, the European Union and several other countries, India is expected to become an important market because of its large diabetic population. The new medicine will compete with daily basal insulin brands such as Sanofi’s Lantus, along with insulin glargine products sold by Biocon, Eris Lifesciences and Lupin.

Reportedly, according to IMARC, India’s insulin market is projected to grow from $660.5 million in 2025 to $916.4 million by 2034. Novo Nordisk believes Awiqli could improve treatment adherence, make insulin therapy less burdensome and help patients manage diabetes more effectively over the long term.

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