Weighty issues: India's rush to make weight-loss drugs demands user caution

The global market for weight-loss drugs is estimated at $100 billion by the end of the decade

Indian pharmaceutical companies are preparing for weighty gains when the patent for semaglutide, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in drugs for weight loss and the treatment of diabetes, lapses in 2026 in 100 countries, including India, Canada, and Brazil. Sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, the drugs have proven to be blockbusters for the Danish pharma major, generating $25 billion in revenues in 2024 alone. No surprise, then, that Indian drugmakers have spotted a huge opportunity and are preparing to launch significantly cheaper generic versions of semaglutide. All the major names of the domestic