Ozempic Craze and Questions

India’s market for Ozempic, Mounjaro and similar weight-loss shots is expanding fast, even as doctors warn that the risks and rules are not keeping pace. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) These drugs work by mimicking gut hormones that slow digestion and curb appetite, which is why they are used for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Eli Lilly launched Mounjaro in India on March 20, 2025, and Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy there on June 24, 2025. (thehindu.com) (business-standard.com) The Economic Times reported on April 19, 2026, that Indian consumers are increasingly turning to injectables such as Mounjaro and Ozempic for gradual weight reduction, and doctors are calling for tighter controls on misuse and marketing. The report said the demand surge is colliding with safety concerns as more patients seek the drugs outside tightly managed diabetes care. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The backdrop is a large and growing obesity burden. A Lancet-linked analysis cited 180 million Indians as overweight or obese in 2021, and UNICEF said in 2025 that overweight and obesity are rising across Indian age groups. (theprint.in) (unicef.org) The rush for prescriptions is meeting a second shift on price. After semaglutide’s patent expiry in India on March 20, 2026, lower-cost generic versions began entering the market, widening access and adding pressure on regulators and prescribers. (firstpost.com) (india-briefing.com) At the same time, one of the biggest side-effect debates is getting more complicated. A 2025 University of Utah study in mice found that semaglutide-related “lean mass” loss did not mainly come from shrinking skeletal muscle, but muscle strength still fell in some fast-twitch fibers. (healthcare.utah.edu) (cell.com) That distinction matters because “lean mass” is not the same thing as muscle. It includes organs, water and other non-fat tissue, and the Utah researchers said semaglutide reduced lean mass primarily through changes outside skeletal muscle in their mouse model. (cell.com) (sciencing.com) The caution is that the muscle study was not a human trial. University of Utah researchers said the findings point to an urgent need for clinical studies in people, especially older adults who already face higher risks of weakness and mobility loss. (healthcare.utah.edu) (sciencedaily.com) Drugmakers are selling proven weight-loss benefits, and doctors are warning that the drugs still need medical supervision, screening and follow-up. In India, where out-of-pocket spending is common and demand is broadening beyond diabetes patients, that tension is now moving from clinics into the wider market. (economictimes.indiatimes.com 1) (economictimes.indiatimes.com 2)