Weight-loss drug Ozempic gets nod for India launch

The race for a share of India's growing obesity market is set to intensify with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) giving Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk approval for its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic.

- SANKET KOUL

Approval for the injectable semaglutide-based solution was given on September 26, according to the CDSCO's website. While no timeline has been given, people in the know told Business Standard that the drug was expected to be launched soon.

Experts say Ozempic's entry is expected to give a boost to the antiobesity market, estimated to be ₹752 crore. Of this market, semaglutide accounts for ₹426 crore.

Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director, Novo Nordisk India, said with Ozempic's launch, the company would complete its semaglutide portfolio in the country, providing a range of treatments.

Ozempic is a once-a-week injectable GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonist (a drug or a hormone to produce a reaction) used to treat type-II diabetes, and it has found global demand for its benefits in patients with obesity or other weight-management issues.