Waist Land

Semaglutide goes off patent in India, the plot thickens

Aspiration has a new face, and waistline. America’s Ozempic revolution looks to be headed to India, where the semaglutide patent has just expired. It’s the key molecule in GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. One in eight adult Americans is taking such drugs already. If lower costs help make these as popular here too, yes, those thousands of crores in revenue could tot up fast.  

Because, look, picture this. A monster shaadi’s coming up in the family. And what’s really blowing up the cousins’ WhatsApp group, is that Sharma ji ki beti took it for three months, and come showtime, she was, like, a different person! Imagine one injection to replace long-winded wedding prep – diet, gym, cry, give up, buy shapewear. Peer pressure on getting in shape would be no less than to fit in a haldi ceremony, plus a mehendi night, into the couple’s one week of total vacation time. The only one sulking through it all, would be the gym bro, who has suffered, sacrificed, eaten boiled chicken at birthday parties, while everyone else had cake. If others can now become snatched, for a few hundred rupees a month, without the suffering, his whole vibe will take an L. 

But, of course, these are not cosmetic drugs. Semaglutide is being called a statin moment for metabolism, it’s that serious. It has to be prescribed carefully, and managed carefully too. Between over-eager sellers and buyers, it’s over to the doctors, and regulators, to hit the brakes. 

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