Drugmakers step up obesity awareness as weight-loss drug race heats up

Mint's queries.The launch of Mounjaro by Eli Lilly in March 2025, followed by Wegovy and Ozempic from Novo Nordisk, has pushed India’s GLP-1 drug market past ₹1,000 crore within a year, according to pharma intelligence platform Pharmarack. Yet, awareness among the broader population remains limited.

Since Indian regulations prohibit direct-to-consumer drug advertising, companies are turning to multimedia campaigns focused on obesity awareness."As a science-driven healthcare company, we are running a disease awareness campaign that aims to educate and empower people living with obesity to take back control of their health. We intend to end the stigma surrounding the obesity narrative by normalising conversations, seeking help and encouraging confidence among individuals who have for long dealt with this alone," a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk India said in response to Mint's emailed queries, adding that all ads are "done in alignment with a robust legal, compliance and regulatory framework."India has 254 million obese people and over 100 million with diabetes, according to a Lancet study from 2023.

Plus, 351 million people suffer from abdominal obesity, while 136 million people were identified as pre-diabetic, making the addressable market massive for these drugs. However, awareness of these treatments remains limited.While brand strategy experts say this is an important step in establishing brand awareness for these companies.“The idea behind these campaigns is to almost legitimize obesity as a disease, something where you go and consult a doctor,” Akshat Kharbanda, an independent brand strategist, told Mint.