Wegovy now available in India: Doctors explain cost, who should take it and key side effects

India has taken a big step forward in obesity treatment with the launch of the much-talked-about weight-loss drug Wegovy by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk. After getting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) four years ago and being used widely in other countries, Wegovy was officially launched in major Indian cities on June 24.

Wegovy contains semaglutide, a medicine that belongs to a group called GLP-1 receptor agonists. It was first made to treat type 2 diabetes, but doctors soon found that it also helped people lose weight. In clinical trials, some people lost 15 per cent to 20 per cent of their body weight, making it one of the most effective non-surgical options for weight loss available today.