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Poviztra is Emcure Pharmaceuticals' brand of semaglutide, developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk and exclusively distributed and commercialised in India by Emcure [4]. It is a second brand of Wegovy: the same original recombinant-DNA semaglutide, in a once-weekly pen, carried up to the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. It is the formulation studied in the STEP and SELECT trials. In April 2026 Emcure cut its price by up to 55%, bringing the innovator molecule within reach of a much larger group of patients [5]. Whether it is right for you is a decision for a doctor, not a checkout page.
What Poviztra is
Poviztra is not a generic. It is the original recombinant-DNA semaglutide, developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk, and exclusively distributed and commercialised in India by Emcure Pharmaceuticals under a partnership announced in November 2025 [4]. Emcure was the first Indian company granted exclusive rights to a second brand of Novo Nordisk's semaglutide injection for weight management.
The distinction matters. Indian generic semaglutide products are separately manufactured versions that must demonstrate equivalence to the reference product. Poviztra is the reference product, carrying the innovator's manufacturing process and the evidence package behind it: the STEP and SELECT trial programmes, and close to a decade of global market presence covering around 38 million patient-years of exposure [4].
It is a Schedule H, prescription-only medicine. A Karespot doctor can assess whether it is clinically appropriate for you in a ₹599 online consultation.
Poviztra belongs to the incretin family of medicines. Here is what it actually does in the body, without the jargon.
Poviztra contains semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It mimics glucagon-like peptide-1, one of the incretin hormones your gut releases after eating, closely enough to act like the real thing but last about a week instead of minutes.
It acts on the appetite centres of the brain, so you feel full sooner and stay full longer. The food noise softens rather than being fought with willpower.
Slower gastric emptying, suppressed glucagon and an improved insulin response smooth out glucose spikes, which is why metabolic markers usually improve alongside the weight change.
Poviztra is manufactured by Novo Nordisk using the recombinant-DNA process behind the original semaglutide. Emcure distributes it exclusively in India [4].
Poviztra works by mimicking a hormone your gut already releases. Here is the chain, from the first bite to a quieter appetite.
Food reaching your small intestine triggers the release of GLP-1, a hormone your body already makes after every meal. Natural GLP-1 breaks down within minutes; the semaglutide in Poviztra copies the same signal in a form that lasts about a week.
What happens
Your stomach empties more gradually, so sugar enters the blood as a trickle rather than a spike. GLP-1 also suppresses glucagon (the hormone that raises blood sugar) and improves your insulin response.
What happens
GLP-1 acts on the appetite centres of the brain. You feel full sooner and stay full longer, so intake falls as a result of the chain above, rather than through willpower.
What happens
These benefits are established for semaglutide 2.4 mg, the maintenance dose Poviztra titrates to. Which of them apply to you depends on your starting point and your cardiovascular status. Numbered references link to the sources at the end of this page.
In STEP 1, adults on semaglutide 2.4 mg lost an average of 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo, alongside structured lifestyle support [1].
In SELECT, semaglutide 2.4 mg cut major cardiovascular events by about 20% in adults with established heart disease and overweight or obesity, without diabetes [2].
Trial participants saw improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure, HbA1c and lipid markers alongside the weight change [1].
Poviztra carries the 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg maintenance strengths, so treatment can reach the full dose studied in the trials rather than stopping short [4].
Poviztra is the same formulation studied in the STEP and SELECT programmes, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, so this evidence describes the product directly rather than by extension. Each stat links to its source. The results were achieved with structured lifestyle support alongside the medicine. Averages are not promises: results vary with your starting point, dose, adherence and support.
average weight reduction on semaglutide 2.4 mg over 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo.
STEP 1 · NEJM 2021 [1]lower risk of major cardiovascular events across 17,604 adults with heart disease and excess weight, but without diabetes.
SELECT · NEJM 2023 [2]patient-years of global exposure behind the formulation, across close to a decade on the market.
Emcure launch statement · December 2025 [4]Medical information verified by Dr. Prakrati Garg · Medical Content Author, Karespot · 29 August 2026
These are the approved criteria. Meeting them is the starting point of a medical assessment, not a guarantee of a prescription.
The obesity threshold at which semaglutide is approved for chronic weight management in India [6].
Overweight with at least one condition such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia or sleep apnoea [6].
Your doctor also screens your medical history for contraindications (including pregnancy, type 1 diabetes, and a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2) before any prescription decision. If Poviztra isn't right for you, we will tell you, and point you to what is. Check your BMI using Indian cut-offs.
The eligibility thresholds for semaglutide use standard BMI. Indian cut-offs, which flag risk earlier, are marked for context, because metabolic risk in Indian adults begins at lower BMIs.
BMI is a screening measure, not a diagnosis. It can misread muscular or older bodies, and your doctor weighs it alongside waist, history and metabolic markers. Zone boundaries follow the Endocrine Society of India's 2025 guidance [3].
Your next step
One call with an NMC-registered Internal Medicine doctor tells you whether you actually meet the criteria above, and which brand and dose make sense in your case.
These are the gastrointestinal side-effect rates reported for semaglutide 2.4 mg in STEP 1, the 68-week randomised trial of 1,961 adults, shown against placebo, because context matters [1]. They describe the molecule rather than any one brand, so they apply to Poviztra and to every other semaglutide product at this dose. Gastrointestinal effects were the most common reason people stopped treatment, but most were mild to moderate, occurred mainly during dose escalation, and settled with time.
Rates as reported in Wilding JPH, et al., STEP 1, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021 [1]; figures describe the 2.4 mg maintenance dose over 68 weeks. · Read the trial
Rare but serious risks (pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and severe allergic reactions) are screened for against your personal and family history before any prescription. Gallbladder disorders were reported more often on semaglutide than on placebo in STEP 1 [1]. Semaglutide is contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2, in type 1 diabetes, and in pregnancy.
Using Poviztra
Poviztra is supplied in a once-weekly pen device and injected under the skin (subcutaneously) on the same day each week, into the abdomen or the thigh, or the upper arm if someone else is administering it [6]. It can be taken with or without food, and at any time of day. Rotate the site every week rather than injecting the same spot twice in a row.
The practical rules your Kare Team will walk you through on your first injection:
Where to inject: abdomen or thigh (upper arm if administered by someone else). Divide the area into four sections and use a different one each week, keeping each injection at least a finger-width from the last and 5 cm from the belly button.
Your prescribing doctor and Kare Team will demonstrate the injection technique before your first dose. Because each strength is a separate pen, your pen changes when your dose steps up: check the strength on the label before every injection. Never change your dose, timing or injection routine without speaking to your doctor first.
Semaglutide is never started at a maintenance dose. Treatment begins low and steps up roughly every four weeks, taking about four months in total to reach 2.4 mg. The two maintenance strengths are 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, and most patients settle at one of them. This is the typical plan; yours may look different, and your doctor may hold you at a lower dose if it is working well.
Semaglutide is always started low and stepped up roughly every four weeks so your body can adjust.
A clinically useful maintenance dose in its own right. Some people stay here. ₹7,999 per month [5].
The full maintenance dose, and the dose studied in STEP 1 and SELECT. ₹8,999 per month [5].
The maintenance strengths are priced at ₹7,999 for 1.7 mg and ₹8,999 for 2.4 mg [5]. Both are MRPs inclusive of taxes, and each pen covers four weekly doses. Poviztra launched in December 2025 at ₹8,790 for the starting dose, and Emcure reduced prices by up to 55% effective 3 April 2026 after Novo Nordisk cut Wegovy and Ozempic [7]. The starting strengths used during titration cost less than the maintenance pens.
| Dose (weekly) | Monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.7 mgMaintenance · 6.8 mg/3 ml pen | ₹7,999 | MRP inclusive of taxes, one pen covering four weekly doses [5]. |
| 2.4 mgFull maintenance · 9.6 mg/3 ml pen | ₹8,999 | MRP inclusive of taxes. The dose studied in STEP 1 and SELECT [5]. |
| Starting dosesDuring titration | lower | The early steps cost less than the maintenance strengths. Confirm current MRPs with your pharmacy. |
| After the April 2026 cutWhat changed | up to 55% lower | Emcure reduced prices effective 3 April 2026, an average of about 47% across dosage forms [7]. |
| Indian generic semaglutideSame molecule, for comparison | from ~₹1,300–2,200 | DCGI-approved products from Sun Pharma, Eris, Alkem and Zydus. See our semaglutide page. |
The 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg figures are retail MRPs listed by a national pharmacy at the time of review [5]; coupon and card offers may bring the effective price lower. Prices vary by pharmacy and city, and the Indian semaglutide market has moved quickly through 2026. Verify the current price with your pharmacy before you budget. Poviztra is a Schedule H medicine: your dose is decided by your doctor based on your response and tolerance, never by price, and dispensing requires a valid prescription. Start with a ₹599 doctor consultation to find out whether treatment is right for you at all.
Comparisons
Five questions patients ask us now that the same molecule is sold in India under more than twenty names.
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It is the original. Poviztra is developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk using the recombinant-DNA process behind the innovator molecule, and exclusively distributed and commercialised in India by Emcure Pharmaceuticals under a partnership announced in November 2025 [4]. It is a second brand of Wegovy.
An Indian generic, by contrast, is separately manufactured by another company and approved on the basis of demonstrated equivalence to the reference product. Both contain semaglutide. The difference is who made it and which manufacturing process and evidence package sits behind it.
Essentially the brand name, who sells it, and what it costs. Poviztra is a second brand of Wegovy: the same molecule, made by the same manufacturer, carried to the same 2.4 mg maintenance dose [4].
The reason two brands exist is reach. Emcure has deep distribution in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which is precisely why Novo Nordisk chose it as a local partner, and the stated aim is to expand access beyond a metro-centric market. Poviztra has also been priced below Wegovy since launch, and after the April 2026 reduction the gap is substantial [7]. Read our Wegovy page.
The gap has narrowed considerably, though it has not closed. Poviztra's maintenance strengths run ₹7,999 to ₹8,999 a month against roughly ₹1,300 to ₹2,200 for the cheapest Indian generics [5].
What you are paying the difference for is Novo Nordisk's own manufacturing and the evidence package attached to it: the STEP and SELECT trials on this page were run with this formulation, and it carries close to a decade of global use. What the generics offer is the same molecule at a lower price, and not every generic brand carries the full ladder to 2.4 mg.
There is no universally correct answer. Cost is one of the biggest reasons people stop treatment early, and a medicine you cannot sustain is not the better medicine. Your doctor weighs the dose range you need, the device you will use reliably, and what you can afford for the length of the programme.
They are different molecules. Poviztra's semaglutide acts on one receptor, GLP-1. Tirzepatide acts on two, GIP and GLP-1, which is why it is called a dual agonist.
Average weight reduction is higher with tirzepatide in the obesity trials. Tirzepatide also remains under patent in India with no generic expected for years, so it is substantially more expensive.
Semaglutide's counterweight is its outcomes evidence, particularly the SELECT cardiovascular data [2]. Which suits you is a clinical decision, not a ranking. Read our tirzepatide page.
Switching between semaglutide products at the same strength is usually straightforward because the molecule is identical, and it is normally done at an equivalent dose. It should still be a decision your doctor makes and documents, because device technique differs between brands and formats.
Switching from tirzepatide is a different matter. The two are not dose-equivalent, so you restart semaglutide low and titrate up again. At Karespot we require a ten-day interval between your final tirzepatide dose and your first semaglutide dose, whereas many providers advise waiting 28 days. Speak to our Kare team before switching anything.
In India, semaglutide is prescribed by specialist doctors: internal medicine physicians and endocrinologists. It is a Schedule H medicine, and a pharmacy can dispense it solely against a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner.
Specialists in adult medicine (MD, Internal Medicine), including the Karespot doctors who assess and prescribe for every patient on this programme.
Hormone and metabolism super-specialists (DM, Endocrinology), typically involved in complex diabetes or endocrine cases.
Wider distribution and lower prices have not made semaglutide an over-the-counter product. No gym, wellness clinic, influencer or online seller can legitimately supply it without a prescription, and be wary of pens offered at unusual prices or without verifiable cold-chain handling. Every Karespot prescription is written by an NMC-registered Internal Medicine doctor after a full assessment. Meet our medical team.
Your doctors
Every Karespot patient is seen by an NMC-registered doctor with specific experience in metabolic medicine, listed with their State Medical Council. Your doctor stays involved from your first consultation to the end of your programme.
Use the arrows, swipe or scroll to meet all 3 prescribers
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NMC Registered Practitioner
MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine)
Internal medicine physician focused on hormonal and metabolic health. She has helped hundreds of patients manage PMOS (PCOS), thyroid dysfunction and insulin resistance with an empathy-led, evidence-based approach.
Registration: Uttarakhand Medical Council Registered Practitioner: 32876
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NMC Registered Practitioner
MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine)
Professor of Medicine with deep clinical experience in diabetes and metabolic medicine. He treats type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity-related metabolic disorders through personalised, evidence-based plans.
Registration: Uttarakhand Medical Council Registered Practitioner: 3461
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NMC Registered Practitioner
MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine)
Internal medicine physician specialising in metabolic health, weight management, diabetes and lifestyle medicine. He treats root causes (insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance and inflammation) rather than symptoms alone.
Registration: Uttarakhand Medical Council Registered Practitioner: 10178
Speak to a Karespot doctor today
Book in two minutes. A straight answer on eligibility on the same call, including a no, where treatment isn't right for you.
Book your consultation (₹599)About Poviztra
Poviztra is a GLP-1 receptor agonist containing semaglutide, for chronic weight management as an adjunct to diet and exercise. It mimics glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after eating to signal fullness, slow digestion and regulate insulin. Natural GLP-1 is broken down within minutes; semaglutide is engineered to last about a week, which is what makes a once-weekly injection possible.
It is developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk and exclusively distributed and commercialised in India by Emcure Pharmaceuticals, which launched it in December 2025 as the first Indian company with exclusive rights to a second brand of Novo Nordisk's semaglutide for weight management [4].
Maintenance strengths: 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, once weekly
Device: once-weekly pre-filled pen; each pen holds four weekly doses
Active Ingredient: Semaglutide (recombinant DNA origin)
Drug class: GLP-1 receptor agonist
Manufacturer: Novo Nordisk
Distributed in India by: Emcure Pharmaceuticals, exclusively
Storage: 2–8°C. Do not freeze
Poviztra can be injected into the abdomen or thigh. Choose an injection area that feels most comfortable. Rotate the injection spot every week by splitting the selected area into four sections and using a different section each time. Place each new injection at least a finger-width away from the previous one, and if injecting into the abdomen, keep the injection at least 5 cm away from the belly button.
Support & safety
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Before you proceed to checkout, please complete the eligibility check to confirm that you meet the basic criteria for the programme.
Once you move to payment, it means you've reviewed the eligibility requirements and would like to reserve your place in our limited-size programme. After payment, our clinical team will complete a medical review to confirm suitability.
If you are found ineligible during the medical review, we will refund your payment in full. Refunds are typically processed within 3–5 business days.
If you are found ineligible during the medical review, we will refund your payment in full. Refunds are typically processed within 3–5 business days.
In case you change your mind post consultation with the doctor, a nominal consultation fee of INR 500 will be charged and the balance amount will be refunded in 3–5 days.
These describe the molecule rather than any one brand. The four most common, with their reported rates on the 2.4 mg dose against placebo in STEP 1 [1]:
Also reported: stomach pain, indigestion and reflux, burping and gas, bloating, dizziness, fatigue, headache, injection site reactions, and low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Gastrointestinal effects are the most common and usually appear or worsen around a dose increase, then settle.
The medical information on this page is written and verified by the Karespot clinical content team. It provides general information and is not a substitute for a consultation. Eligibility and treatment decisions are always made by your doctor. Meet our medical team.
Using Poviztra · FAQ
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Yes. Poviztra is a Schedule H, prescription-only medicine and can only be dispensed against a valid prescription from a licensed medical doctor.
At Karespot, every patient is assessed by an NMC-registered doctor (MBBS, MD Internal Medicine) before any prescription is issued. If you are not clinically suitable, we will tell you, and refund you.
Most people notice reduced appetite within the first few weeks, but meaningful weight loss builds over months rather than days. Because treatment starts low and titration to 2.4 mg takes about four months, the trial results were measured over 68 weeks, not 8.
Some people feel appetite reduction early; others only notice significant changes after moving to higher doses. The rate of weight loss varies widely and is influenced by food choices, age, activity level, sleep, stress, and other medicines, so there is no single weekly rate that applies to everyone.
Semaglutide has a half-life of about one week. After your final dose it can remain in the body for roughly five to seven weeks, with full clearance taking around eight to ten weeks depending on individual factors such as kidney function and general health. Its effects on appetite and blood sugar fade gradually rather than stopping abruptly.
Poviztra should be kept in the fridge at 2°C to 8°C. It must not be frozen or exposed to direct light. Storage rules once a pen has been started differ from unopened storage, so follow the instructions in your pack insert, and speak to your Kare Team before travelling rather than improvising the cold chain.
Take your injection on the same day each week to maintain a steady routine and get the most from your treatment.
If you cannot take it on your usual day:
There is no absolute prohibition, but it is worth discussing with your prescriber. Alcohol adds calories without satiety, can worsen the nausea and reflux that are already the most common side effects, and heavy drinking may reduce how well treatment works.
A common guideline is to keep alcohol to no more than 1 drink per day for women and 2 for men. Your doctor can give advice tailored to your health and treatment plan.
Often, yes, unless the underlying habits and metabolic drivers have been addressed. We would rather tell you that honestly upfront.
Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition. Semaglutide works while you take it; when it stops, appetite signals return, and studies show a significant proportion of lost weight is regained over the following year.
This is precisely why Karespot pairs medication with dietician coaching, psychologist support and strength-based activity, so that when the medication ends, the habits and the muscle remain.
Still have a question?
Speak to a Karespot doctor and get a clear answer about whether Poviztra is right for you.
Check your eligibilityThe medical information on this page is written and verified by the Karespot clinical content team. It provides general information about semaglutide and weight management and is not a substitute for a consultation. Eligibility and treatment decisions are always made by your doctor. Meet our medical team.
Karespot does not sell Poviztra from this page. If a doctor finds semaglutide clinically appropriate for you, it is prescribed and dispensed through a licensed partner pharmacy inside a supervised programme, with dietician, psychologist and coaching support around it.
Treatment is recommended only where clinically appropriate, and every cost is shown transparently before you commit.
Evidence
Every clinical claim and statistic on this page is traceable to one of the sources below (the numbered markers [1]–[7] through the page point here) and each reference links on to the original. Clinical statistics are reported as published. Pricing figures come from retail listings and company announcements rather than clinical evidence.
Wilding JPH, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021;384:989–1002.
Source for the weight-reduction figures and the gastrointestinal side-effect rates shown in the table; semaglutide 2.4 mg over 68 weeks in 1,961 adults.
Lincoff AM, et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT). New England Journal of Medicine, 2023;389:2221–2232.
Source for the cardiovascular outcome figures across 17,604 adults with established cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity, without diabetes.
Endocrine Society of India. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Obesity in India, 2025 update.
Source for the Indian BMI cut-offs (overweight ≥ 23, obesity ≥ 25) shown on the BMI scale, and context for obesity management in the Indian setting.
Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Press release: Emcure launches Poviztra (semaglutide injection) across India. December 2025.
Source for the Emcure and Novo Nordisk partnership and exclusive distribution arrangement, the pen device, the licensed indications, the STEP and SELECT evidence base, and the global patient-year exposure figure.
Apollo Pharmacy. Poviztra Flextouch prefilled pen injection: retail listings and prices.
Source for the 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg retail MRPs quoted in the pricing table, and for the marketer details.
Novo Nordisk. Semaglutide injection: prescribing and product information.
Manufacturer of semaglutide; source for approved indications, administration, injection technique, storage and the standard titration schedule.
Business Standard. Emcure slashes obesity drug Poviztra price by up to 55% amid competition. 2 April 2026.
Source for the price reduction effective 3 April 2026 and the average 47% reduction across dosage forms.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Poviztra is approved in India for chronic weight management as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight. Treatment is recommended only where it is clinically appropriate for you, following an assessment by a registered medical practitioner. Any prescription-only treatment is provided solely under a valid prescription and active medical supervision, and all products are supplied in compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Karespot is not affiliated with Emcure or Novo Nordisk and does not endorse any particular manufacturer or brand; product selection is a clinical decision made by your doctor. Individual results vary and depend on your starting point, medical history and adherence to the programme. Prices shown are indicative published figures at the time of review and are subject to change.
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