According to market research firm IMARC Group, there are 225 million overweight people and about 80 million obese people in India. More than 11% of Indian adults over the age of 20 who participated in the study had diabetes, and 15% had pre-diabetes read more
Incentives are being planned by India in 2026 to encourage domestic production of GLP-1 medications, which are used to treat obesity and diabetes.
A report by news agency Reuters claimed that GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medications, which were first licensed to treat diabetes, are now frequently used to treat obesity because they slow down digestion and prolong feelings of fullness in patients.
The patent on semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist and the main component of the immensely successful diabetes and obesity medications Wegovy and Ozempic made by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is scheduled to expire in India in 2026, according to industry analysts.
“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.
By 2030, the market for anti-obesity medications would be worth $100 billion, according to a study by Goldman Sachs Research.
The biggest pharmaceutical corporation in India, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., is developing a weight-loss supplement on its own. In the meantime, generic medications for weight loss are being developed by Cipla Ltd. and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.
Focusing on generic versions of an older generation obesity treatment—a liraglutide injectable offered by Novo Nordisk under the brand name Saxenda—are Biocon Ltd. and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
The current prevalence rate of overweight in the nation is over 22% for the general population, 23% for women, and roughly 11% for children.
According to a report published in The Lancet, as of 2022, India was the third-most obese country in the world, after China and the US. The increased consumption of junk food is the reason behind the rise in obesity.
According to market research firm IMARC Group, there are 225 million overweight people and about 80 million obese people in India. More than 11% of Indian adults over the age of 20 who participated in the study had diabetes, and 15% had pre-diabetes. Furthermore, chronic renal disease is now the eighth most common cause of death in India.