Danish drug major Novo Nordisk eyes India as a critical market for its anti-obesity-related products, as it estimates that 135 million people in the country live with obesity, which is almost double the number of people living with diabetes at present.

The company, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, is one of the leading players in India’s insulin market and holds a 50 per cent market share here. In the recent past, it announced its plans to launch once-weekly insulin and once-weekly injections for obesity in the Indian market by 2025–26.

Speaking to businessline, Vikrant Shrotriya, CVP and Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India, said that they are currently engaged in building an obesity portfolio targeting a huge unmet medical need while also trying to change how the world perceives people living with overweight or obesity.

As of now, trials are on for new products to be launched in the Indian market and the company is awaiting relevant regulatory reviews. These comprise once-weekly insulin, Icodec, and once-weekly injections for obesity, Wegovy, according to the company.

Close correlation

Diving further into explaining the disease burden, Katrine Luise DiBona – CVP, Global Public Affairs and Sustainability, Novo Nordisk A/S, explained, “There is a close correlation between diabetes and obesity. Eight out of 10 people living with type 2 diabetes are also obese. This showcases how closely connected both are, and hence why we are so active in the fight against obesity.”

The World Obesity Federation’s 2023 Atlas predicts that obesity prevalence is expected to affect 4 billion individuals worldwide by 2035. The rising prevalence is anticipated among children and adolescents, with 10–20 per cent of boys and 8–18 per cent of girls being affected.

Additionally, even the demand side is quite significant. In fact, awareness of obesity as a disease has gone up significantly. “It’s a developing therapy area, and it’s also a developing disease area, both globally and in India,” she added.

Obesity is also a major contributor to the diabetes problem as it increases the disease burden (in terms of reduced productivity and the healthcare cost for treatment) of the country. Studies have found that the per capita cost of obesity in India was $17 in 2019, which is nearly 0.8 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Talking about Novo’s plans for the coming years, Shrotriya noted, “Our aim for the next one to two years is for at least 10 per cent more people to start taking insulin, and I hope that they get access to it far and wide. Furthermore, in India, people should take diabetes and noncommunicable diseases much more seriously and treat them with the best available technology. We look forward to more products in the next couple of years.”

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