麻豆社

For millions of people living with obesity, weight loss drugs have been hailed as a game changer.

They鈥檙e known as GLP-1s but are more commonly known by their trade names: Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. So far they鈥檝e only been made by two companies in Denmark and the US and they鈥檙e pretty expensive. But now the patents for these drugs have expired in China and India, which means pharmaceutical companies in those countries can now make cheaper copies.

India has a reputation as the "pharmacy of the world" because of its ability to turn expensive medicines into affordable mass-market products. The country is the world's largest supplier of generic medicines. Indian companies are already starting to produce and sell these weight loss drugs.

So what impact will this have on the cost and supply of weight loss drugs in India and around the world? Archana Shukla, the 麻豆社鈥檚 India business correspondent in Mumbai, tells us why the expiry of the patents is such a big deal. And 麻豆社 Health correspondent James Gallagher explains how these drugs work.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Chelsea Coates, Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden
Video Producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde