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Kamala Thiagarajan

As Asia grappled with the impact of the Iran war, a major pharmaceutical milestone quietly made the headlines.
On March 20, the patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, expired in several countries, crucially India and China – two countries renowned for their production of generic drugs, which are drugs with the same active ingredient as the branded original but typically sold at much lower prices.
Ozempic, first approved in 2017 by the US Food and Drug Administration for use to treat type 2 diabetes, has quickly become popular as a weight loss injection. In 2021, Wegovy was approved as a weight-loss treatment for the clinically obese. Both semaglutide drugs have had a good run. Between 2021 and 2025, Novo’s obesity-drug business revenues grew by roughly tenfold.
In a world obsessed with physical appearance, it’s easy to see why these drugs are in demand.
The United States has been Novo’s primary market for both Ozempic and Wegovy, accounting for over 60 per cent of sales for weight-loss jabs. That is set to change as India and China enter the market with generics.
In India, generic semaglutide products were launched on March 21, the day after Novo’s patent expired, from companies such as Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Zydus Life Sciences and Alkem Laboratories. These generics are up to 70 per cent cheaper than Ozempic and Wegovy, despite Novo slashing prices last week to as low as 1,415 rupees (US$15) for a weekly shot. This year, at least 42 drug makers are expected to push out 50 such generics – India’s semaglutide market has exploded.

China’s market is similarly poised to be flooded by locally produced generics, in a competition that has gone beyond GLP-1 agonists (so-called for mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1) like semaglutide to others such as tirzepatide, a dual GLP-1/GIP (it also acts on the gastric inhibitory polypeptide). After Novo halved the price of Wegovy in some Chinese provinces, prices of Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide medication Mounjaro reportedly plunged by 80 per cent on some platforms.
Even in the United States, where the drug patent won’t expire until the early 2030s, policy pressure is rising and some Medicare beneficiaries will see costs for these drugs fall by 71 per cent to US$274 a month next year.
These miracle drugs, previously priced out of reach for so many, are suddenly becoming affordable. This is good news, particularly for India and China, the world’s top two diabetic countries with 238 million diabetic patients between them.
Regulators in India, however, have started to raise concerns. On April 1, India’s health ministry warned that GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, can only be prescribed by endocrinologists, internal medicine specialists and cardiologists. This is a tall order in a country struggling with problems of self-medication and illegal pharmacies. Not only is regulatory control lax but there is a critical shortage of specialist doctors, especially in rural areas. The potential for misuse is rife.


While GLP-1 drugs are meant as treatments for diabetics and the clinically obese, they can easily be used by others for cosmetic purposes. For the jaded dieter, gym goer or anyone who fails to keep extra weight off by their own means, these drugs represent a remarkable breakthrough – a fundamental shift from relying solely on willpower.
It’s worth noting how GLP-1 drugs work. They mimic gut hormones that regulate our blood sugar and help control appetite. They slow the passage of food through the digestive tract so people feel full for longer and the hunger signal is reduced. Side effects include vomiting, constipation and allergic reactions. Treatment requires specialist monitoring.
And then there’s the aggressive marketing. Last month, India’s health authorities issued a warning against “awareness campaigns” that function as surrogate advertisements for prescription-only drugs after Eli Lilly launched an obesity awareness push that featured Bollywood celebrities.
These are not just Indian problems. The ripple effect across Asia is bound to be immense. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of generic medicines, India often sets the trajectory for drug access across the Global South. Cheaper semaglutide is likely to be available soon in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, where drug regulatory capacities vary widely. Private clinics can operate with variable oversight; rapid demand can outpace regulation.
On the threshold of such change, it is worth remembering that GLP-1 drugs are not a quick weight-loss fix. If misused, these miracle life-saving drugs can instead open a Pandora’s box of troubles.


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Asia’s flood of cheap Ozempic generics opens gates to weight-loss abuse

An advert for Eli Lilly’s obesity awareness campaign is seen on a building in Gurugram, India, on December 16. Photo: Reuters

A man buys medicines from a pharmacy in Bengaluru on September 22, 2025. Photo: AFP

India’s weight-loss price war begins as semaglutide patent expires

A group of women walk on a street in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. About a quarter of India’s adult population is either overweight or obese. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

A man eating jalebi, an Indian sweet, at a market in Allahabad. Obesity is a rising problem in India due to an abundance of fatty and sugary foods. Photo: AP

Ozempic, wegovy and Rybelsus semaglutide medications are used by consumers to lose weight by suppressing their appetite. Photo: Shutterstock

Here comes the ‘Mounjaro bride’: Indian women turn to weight-loss drug before wedding

Brides sit during a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai. Photo: AFP

A bridal couple perform rites at the groom’s house in Jaipur. Traditional Indian weddings are typically grand affairs. Photo: Shutterstock

Semaglutide drugs are intended for adults classified as obese, or for those with weight-related medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or sleep ‌apnoea. Photo: Instagram.com/glp1training

People shop at a market in Chennai. India could have more than 440 million overweight or obese people by 2050, one of the world’s highest totals, according to The Lancet. Photo: AFP

China’s weight-loss drug makers take on global giants as Novo Nordisk patent expires

Semaglutide generated about US$35 billion in global revenue last year. Photo: AFP

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster semaglutide lost patent protection in China on March 20. Photo: Reuters

How food shapes our health more than medicine. Doctors share healthy eating tips

A significant percentage of health outcomes are affected by what we eat. Nutrition experts weigh in on why treating food as medicine must be a priority for health providers. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Jaclyn Albin, internist and director of UT Southwestern Medical Centre’s culinary medicine programme, says research showed people with advanced HIV who were delivered healthy meals stayed out of hospital. Photo: courtesy of UT Southwestern

Culinary dietitian nutritionist Milette Siler says it is important to consider people’s financial access to food as well as their emotional and cultural connections to it. Photo: courtesy of UT Southwestern

Dr Stormee Williams, paediatrician and chief health equity officer at Children’s Health in Texas. Photo: Children’s Health

Treating food as medicine must be a priority for health providers, according to Albin. Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

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Asia

Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight


Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight.


Drugs

New medical drugs

Medicine

Eli Lilly

China

United States

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Health in China

China manufacturing

Asean

Global South

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Asia’s flood of cheap Ozempic generics opens gates to weight-loss abuse

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight

Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight