Cipla Limited (CIPLA.NS)

India pharma companies develop versions of Wegovy to get in on weight-loss windfall

Indian drugmakers aiming to grab a slice of the burgeoning weight-loss treatment sales pie, both at home and abroad, have begun developing their own versions of Novo Nordisk's wildly in demand Wegovy. With some analysts predicting a weight-loss market reaching $100 billion a year or more by the end of the decade, executives at Sun Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy's and Lupin -- some of the world's largest generic drugmakers -- all said they have started work on Wegovy versions. Novo Nordisk has been unable to produce enough Wegovy to meet demand in more than half a dozen countries where it has already launched, amid record global obesity rates and people looking for easier alternatives to diet and exercise.