India’s cheap weight-loss drugs could reshape global obesity fight. 9 hours ago. Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent. Bloomberg via Getty Images. India could soon get a lot thinner – at least in theory.. On Friday the patent on semaglutide – the molecule behind Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic – expires in the country.. This will allow domestic pharmaceutical companies to release cheaper copies or generics, triggering a rush of competition that could slash prices by more than half and rapidly expand access for people in India, and eventually in other countries too.. Investment bank Jefferies has called it a potential “magic-pill moment” for India, predicting the semaglutide market could eventually reach $1bn domestically with the right pricing and uptake.. Analysts expect around 50 branded semaglutide generics to enter the market within months – a familiar pattern in India’s fiercely competitive pharmaceutical industry. When the diabetes drug sitagliptin went off patent in 2022, about 30 branded versions appeared within a month and nearly 100 within a year.. Affluent Indians drive boom in weight-loss drugs. India’s pharmaceutical industry, currently worth about $60bn, is expected to double by 2030. Much of it is built on generics – a manufacturing muscle that now sets the stage for fierce competition over semaglutide. What has until now been an expensive injection largely confined to affluent patients could soon become far more common.. Originally developed to treat diabetes, these drugs are now being hailed as game changers for weight loss, offering results that few previous treatments could match. Semaglutide belongs to a class of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar.. By boosting insulin release and slowing the emptying of the stomach, the drugs make people feel full sooner and stay full longer. Originally developed for diabetes, they have become some of the most sought-after weight-loss treatments in the world.. Getty Images. Several Indian drugmakers are already preparing to make the move. According to Sheetal Sapale, vice-president at research firm Pharmarack, major firms including Cipla, Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Biocon, Natco, Zydus and Mankind Pharma are readying branded generics, with many more likely to follow. Prices are expected to fall sharply.. Current monthly treatment costs are steep: Ozempic typically sells for 8,800 – 11,000 rupees ($95-$119; £71-£89), while Wegovy can cost 10,000-16,000 rupees ($108-$173). Sapale expects generic competition to push that down to roughly 3,000-5,000 rupees ($36-54) per month.. Lower prices could transform the market.. India’s anti-obesity drug sector – covering both injectables and oral medicines – has already grown rapidly, from roughly $16m in 2021 to close to $100m, according to Pharmarack. Demand accelerated after the launch of Rybelsus in 2022, the first oral versio
