India to tackle obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs

A deluge of weight loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low-cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired on Friday.

- Anuj Drivas, Agence France-Presse

The move will dramatically widen access to treatments that have long been considered a luxury, especially in middle-income countries, where soaring demand has collided with steep prices. At clinics across Mumbai, doctors say they are already preparing for an influx in new patients. More than 50 people walk into endocrinologist Nadeem Rais's office every week seeking weight-loss injections. “We have around 70 to 80 patients on active treatment right now,” he said.

“When generics come out and prices drop, that could go up to 200 easily.” His colleague Sunera Ghai agrees saying that demand is “very high” but many “probably aren't taking it just because it is truly a luxury item at this point”. The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide — the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy — expired on Friday in India, the world’s largest supplier of generic medicines. By the end of 2026, core patents on semaglutide will have expired in 10 countries that represent 48 per cent of the global obesity burden, according to a study published earlier this month by researchers.