Kolkata: Very few physical parameters are as keenly watched as the waistline and one’s weight these days. In simpler words, thin is in. With both the health
brigade and fad nudging people towards weight-loss drugs, the market could soon be flooded with more than a dozen firms offering copies of Novo Nordisk A/S hit weight-loss medication. With the patent expiring on Friday, March 20, reports state that as many as a dozen companies are getting ready to offer cheaper varieties of Novo Nordisk weight-loss formulation.
Ozempic has been a global hit since it offers medically validated weight loss results parallelly with blood sugar treatment for Type 2 diabetes patients. The range of weight loss can be as high as 10-15%.
A fraction of the cost
One of the companies which are reportedly ready with their offering is Natco Pharma. It has drawn up plans to sell an injection for semaglutide, the active ingredient for Novo Nordisk’s winner brand Ozempic. The cost will be a fraction of what Ozempic and Wegovy cost. Ozempic or semaglutide, which is used for treating diabetes, is known to trigger significant weight loss. The mechanism is by mimicking a hormone that slows down digestion and reduces the feeling of hunger.
Reports state that the price of the Natco Pharma product will be just a small fraction of the cost of Ozempic and Wegovy, the latter being the pen to inject the body with semaglutide.
While the Natco Pharma offering will start from Rs 1,290 ($14) a month, the pen will come around Rs 4,500. The pen could be launched next month. The pen from Novo Nordisk, known as Wegovy pen starts around Rs 10,480. Reports stated that other companies will price their semaglutide offerings in India between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 a month.
India, the diabetes capital
India is reportedly the first market where copies of the hit drug are being allowed. Incidentally, in January the patent on Novo Nordisk’s drug expired in the first such instance. But generics were not allowed in that country. Generic drugmakers in India are also trying out different delivery instruments for the drug from single-use pre-filled syringes to single-shot pen injectors, from vials to reusable pens with adjustable doses.
India is known as the diabetes capital of the world, thanks to the forces of genetic susceptibility, sedentary lifestyles, changing food habits and rapid urbanization. Estimates put the total number of diabetics in India to be more than 10 crore in FY24 itself. This number is significantly higher than the total population of countries such as Germany or Iran.
