Eli Lilly Partners with Cipla to Launch Second Brand of Tirzepatide (Yurpeak®) for Diabetes and Obesity in India

Eli Lilly and Cipla Limited announced a commercial agreement to distribute and promote tirzepatide in India under a second brand name: Yurpeak®.

Agreement Details: Cipla has secured the rights to distribute and promote Yurpeak® across India.
Manufacturing and Pricing: Lilly will manufacture and supply Yurpeak® to Cipla. The price of Yurpeak® will be the same as Lilly’s existing brand, Mounjaro®.
Objective: The partnership aims to expand the availability of tirzepatide by leveraging Cipla’s extensive distribution network, enabling broader access across the country, particularly beyond the major cities where Lilly already has a presence.

Winselow Tucker, President and General Manager, Lilly India, stated that the introduction of a second brand “furthers Lilly’s commitment to expanding access to innovative treatments for chronic conditions” in India.

Tirzepatide: A Dual-Action Innovative Therapy

Tirzepatide is a prescription-based medicine that is the first and only dual agonist of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors.

Indications:

As an adjunct to diet and exercise for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.
For chronic weight management in adults with:
- Obesity (BMI $\geq$ 30).
- Overweight (BMI $\geq$ 27) with at least one weight-related comorbidity.

Product Presentation:

Yurpeak® (tirzepatide) will be available in the KwikPen® presentation, a multi-dose, single-patient-use prefilled pen.
Each pen contains four fixed doses, administered once weekly.
The pen will be available in six dose strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg.

Addressing India’s Metabolic Health Crisis

The agreement is a direct response to the significant burden of metabolic diseases in India:

Diabetes: Approximately 101 million people are living with diabetes in India, with nearly half of adult patients inadequately treated.
Obesity: Adult obesity prevalence stood at about 6.5% as of 2023, affecting nearly 100 million people. Obesity is a major risk factor linked to over 200 health complications.

Achin Gupta, Global Chief Operating Officer, Cipla Limited, commented that the introduction of Yurpeak® marks Cipla’s entry into obesity care with the same commitment and scale used in respiratory and chronic therapies.