India braces for cheaper obesity drugs as Ozempic patent expires, pharma firms prepare launches

Prices of popular weight-loss drugs in India are expected to drop sharply as the key patent for semaglutide—the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy—expires on March 20. Several Indian pharmaceutical companies are preparing to launch generic versions of the drug, which are expected to cost at least 50 percent less than the original therapy. Weekly doses of the generic drug are likely to be priced at around ₹5,000.

Major Indian drugmakers including Mankind Pharma, Ajanta Pharma, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Lupin are gearing up to introduce the generic versions soon after the patent expiry. The expected price drop has prompted clinics, hospitals and tele-health platforms to expand obesity-related services in anticipation of rising demand.

Healthcare professionals say the demand for weight-management treatments is already growing rapidly in India. The country has the world’s third-largest overweight population after the United States and China, driven largely by sedentary urban lifestyles and high-calorie diets. Metabolic conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders and fatty liver disease have also increased significantly.

Amid the expected surge in demand, India’s drug regulator has banned advertising and promotional campaigns related to weight-loss programs, including social media endorsements and disease-awareness promotions. Analysts estimate that India’s GLP-1 weight-loss drug market could grow nearly five-fold from ₹1,000 crore last year to around ₹5,000 crore by 2030 as generics become more widely available.