Janet Jalil

Our reporter, Achana Shukla, spoke to me from a factory in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, which has already begun manufacturing generic versions of the drugs.

The generic versions start coming into the market from tomorrow.

So these factories over the last few months have actually put in a lot of capacity expansion, put in a lot of investment to ramp up capacities.

And I could see packed boxes already ready to be shipped to the market.

This particular factory is making these generic versions for almost a third of the 50 brands that will come into the Indian market.

But the opportunity doesn't just rest in India.

India is the pharmacy of the world.

And these

factories already have approvals and licenses in various other markets.

Semaglutide, which is the molecule that powers Ozempic and Wegovi, these are two blockbuster weight loss drugs that actually earned Novo Nordisk $26 billion in revenue just last year.

Now, the generic semaglutide is going off patent, meaning the exclusivity is ending.

That also means that multiple other companies can launch generic versions, cheaper alternatives of this drug.

And the access to this drug to diabetic patients, to patients who are struggling with weight management, especially for medical conditions, that will become easier.

So over the course of next few months, the patents would also expire in Canada, China, and to all those patients around these countries, generic versions of these weight loss drugs at much more affordable prices will be available.

So if I give you an example of India...

These drugs have been available for over a year, but just a small section of the population could afford it because it would cost about $120 to $150 for a month's dose, which is a big amount for the socioeconomic conditions in India.

But it is a market where diabetes and obesity is fast rising.

Now, with about 50 brands wanting to come into the market from tomorrow onwards, prices are expected to crash by nearly half.

And over the next few months, it could come down much more than that.

So it sounds like there could be huge benefits.