August 22, 2025

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has raised a loud warning about the misuse of weight-loss medicines like Wegovy and Mounjaro. These GLP-1 drugs are new in India and can have unknown long-term effects. IMA’s national president, Dilip Bhanushali, told ET, “IMA has shared its concerns among its members regarding this because we thought that this should be prescribed by certified endocrinologists or diabetologists.” He further said, “We plan to write to the government and the drug controller that this should not be available without proper prescription.” The IMA is India’s biggest group of modern medicine doctors, and they want tighter control over these drugs. Why all the fuss? Many doctors are worried because these drugs are being misused by cosmetologists, physiotherapists, and even non-modern medicine practitioners like ayurveda doctors. Dr Geoffrey Vaz, a Mumbai dermatologist, explained, “There are many dermats, cosmetologists, homeopathy, ayurvedic, etc who are prescribing Mounjaro and Wegovy left, right and centre for weight loss because their patients want to look a bit more skinny - may be for Insta or social media or people who appear on screen or on camera. There are a whole lot of people giving it randomly.” Currently, any registered medical doctor (MBBS or MD) can prescribe these weight-loss drugs in India. But there’s no specific rule to check who writes the prescription. This means even online chemists can sell Mounjaro if you have any prescription, no questions asked. The drug market is booming fast. From just Rs 700 crore now, it is expected to rise to Rs 8,000-10,000 crore by 2030. MBBS doctors say they prescribe these drugs only in teamwork with endocrinologists or diabetologists. But easy access means misuse is everywhere. One senior doctor from a big healthcare chain said, “These (new weight loss) medicines are available anywhere and everywhere with almost every pharmacist. Many times prescriptions are generated paying Rs 100 or Rs 200 and there are no proper checks in place to verify.” The US FDA has also reported hundreds of dosing mistakes causing hospital visits. Indian specialists warn, “In India, real side effects will be evident when a greater population starts taking the drug which will happen once the cheaper generics come into the market next year,” said Dr Neeraj Tulara from Mumbai. He added, “In ideal situation, it should be prescribed by diabetologists, general MD physician or endocrinologist so that they can properly counsel the patient about the effect, side effects, concurrent precautions that one needs to take so that you do not lose the efficacy on the patient and have any other complications.” Right now, about 100,000 people in India use these medicines. Experts say this number will jump to 1.2 million in two years! By 2029-30, the tally could hit 4 million, as prices will drop by up to 80% after the patent for semaglutide (Wegovy) ends in March 2026, allowing cheaper Indian generic medicines to flood the market. So, while these drugs shine as a weight-loss miracle, the call from India’s top doctors is clear: Handle with care! Only the right experts should guide you, or the risks might stack up faster than the kilos you want to lose.

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Tags: Weight loss drugs, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Indian medical association, Drug misuse, Glp-1 medications,