Well being and Way of life: Hiding packing containers of injections in carry-on baggage, shopping for pretend formulation on-line, importing packing containers from Europe. The race for blockbuster weight-loss medicine is pushing one of many world’s largest populations of overweight individuals to unparalleled ranges. Irresponsible media protection has fueled absurd speculations about therapies. Such is the curiosity that the anti-obesity drug market may attain $100 billion by 2030, Goldman Sachs Analysis stated. In the meantime, Indians are merely watching from the sidelines.
Turning to the thriving gray market
That is as a result of the brand new formulations, Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli and Lilly Firm’s Monjaro and Zepbound, will not be out there in India anytime quickly, because of world provide shortages. For some consumers, that is not quickly sufficient. They’re turning to the thriving grey market, the place gross sales of imported bulk packs and various medicine exaggerate the size of pent-up demand and lift tough questions on potential well being dangers.
At her upscale New Delhi cosmetology and metabolic therapy clinic, Instagram-famous Dr. Anjali Huda sees celebrities, rich locals and expatriates, in addition to Indians coming residence from overseas, seeking to attempt their hand at weight-loss medicine.
Largely ladies, aged between 20 and 50, are available in in search of prescriptions, Huda stated. Whereas many are overweight, some have a small quantity of weight to lose.
Attempt it at your personal threat (Well being and Way of life)
A whole lot of sufferers have requested her for prescriptions previously six months, she stated. She just lately refused an Ozempic prescription to a younger affected person who needed to shortly lose 4 kilograms (9 kilos) and already had a dose of the drug from an unknown supply. “I instructed her she didn’t meet the factors to be used and requested her to attempt it solely at her personal threat,” Hooda stated.
