Diagnostics chains step up as weight-loss therapies take off

The anti-obesity wave has birthed a new growth engine for diagnostics, as labs curate tests for those undergoing therapies involving drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy.

- Sowmya Ramasubramanian & Jessica Jani

A range of diagnostics players including Tata Img, Thyrocare Technologies Ltd and Metropolis Healthcare Ltd have joined the race, building the clinical backbone for what could be India's next major shift in metabolic health.

These weight-loss drugs are essentially diabetes drugs with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, which mimic a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite, insulin release and blood sugar. Top labs are assembling programmes to track cardiac, liver, pancreatic and metabolic markers for patients starting these treatments. Their bet: as cheaper generics enter and GLP-1 therapy expands from diabetics to the broader obesity segment, diagnostics will become the essential support system that keeps these powerful drugs safe, personalized and scalable.

Tata Group-backed Img, which provides lab tests as well as medicine delivery, has seen a total of 2,000 sign-ups for its weight management programme 'Weightwise' that was rolled out in April, its co-founder Gaurav Agarwal told Mint. The programme facilitates a combination of GLP-specific diet interventions, physical activity, and gut health and metabolic diagnostics.