GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs, originally approved to treat diabetes, are also widely being used to treat obesity as they slow digestion, helping patients feel full longer.
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s patent on semaglutide – a GLP-1 agonist and the key ingredient in its wildly popular obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic – is set to expire in India in 2026, industry experts say.
“The (Indian) companies (planning) manufacturing GLP-1 drugs have applied for the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme,” Arunish Chawla, Secretary of Department of Pharmaceuticals, told Reuters.
“Once they start manufacturing in 2026 after patent expiries, we will give them the incentive,” said Chawla, without disclosing the names of these companies.
The anti-obesity medication market could reach $100 billion by 2030, according to a report by Goldman Sachs Research.In India, the largest pharmaceutical company, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., is creating its own weight-loss formulation. Meanwhile, Cipla Ltd. and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. are developing generic drugs for weight loss. Biocon Ltd. and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. are focusing on generic versions of an older generation obesity treatment, specifically a liraglutide injectable marketed by Novo Nordisk under the name Saxenda.
Need for anti-obesity drugs in India
The overweight prevalence rate in the country today is close to 22 per cent for the main population 23 per cent for the female population and close to 11 per cent for children.
As of 2022, India ranked third globally in the number of obese individuals, trailing only China and the US, according to a study published in The Lancet. This increase in obesity is attributed to the rising consumption of junk food.
Market research firm IMARC Group estimates that the country has around 80 million obese and 225 million overweight individuals. A study involving over 100,000 Indians aged over 20 revealed that over 11 per cent were diabetic and another 15 per cent were pre-diabetic. Additionally, chronic kidney disease has become the eighth leading cause of death in India.
(With Reuters inputs)
