Affordable Semaglutide Set to Reshape India’s Workplace Health Landscape

When patent protections for semaglutide – the GLP-1 drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy – expire in India in March, these treatments will become affordable for the middle class, not just the wealthy. For multinational employers with Indian operations, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

India is often called the ‘diabetes capital of the world’, with around 12% of the population living with the condition, and millions more at risk of pre-diabetes. But the bigger story is unfolding in corporate India, where professionals show increasing rates of abnormal glucose metabolism linked to sedentary work culture and stress.

As average BMI among employees crosses 23 kg/m² - a threshold associated with higher metabolic risk- employers face a perfect storm of rising healthcare costs and worsening metabolic health, but that could all be about to change.

The turning point

In March this year, patent protections for semaglutide - the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy - expire in India. This opens the market to generic manufacturers - a development that could slash treatment costs from 30-50% initially, potentially increasing to 70-75% over time.

Currently valued at approximately USD 110 million with a projected 34.3% growth rate through to 2030, India's anti-obesity drug sales rose 115% year-on-year to ₹1,230 crore in 2025. Eli Lilly's Mounjaro alone recorded ₹601 crore in sales within nine months of launch.

These treatments are currently confined to India's elite due to cost. But once local manufacturers are able to produce affordable alternatives, the entire market dynamic will shift. This will have consequences for employers and employees alike; employees will expect access to effective treatments, and employers will face decisions about how to integrate these medications into benefits programmes.

However, this could also present an opportunity: employers can look to integrate these medications as part of preventative strategies for a young workforce, rather than waiting for chronic conditions to develop.

The young workforce opportunity

India has one of the youngest workforces in the world, with Gen Z set to dominate within five years and Generation Alpha entering within the decade. This creates an opportunity for employers to intervene early to help younger employees build healthy habits before metabolic conditions take hold.

Sedentary work culture, long commutes, and desk-based jobs create the conditions for obesity and diabetes to develop. But these are diseases that respond to early intervention. When younger employees receive support for nutrition, movement, and metabolic health before chronic conditions develop, employers can manage costs at the source rather than face expensive complications later.

The connection to mental health matters too. We know that employees struggling with weight gain or diabetes often face psychological burdens. When these conditions affect workplace confidence and mental wellbeing, the cost isn't limited to medical claims, it also applies to absenteeism, presenteeism, and talented people leaving earlier than planned.

When GLP-1 treatments become affordable and accessible in India, employers will have the opportunity to position them as part of a comprehensive wellness strategy - one that treats employees as people navigating real health challenges, not ‘risk categories’ to be managed. This is where Howden's wellness consulting approach - putting people first, not just premiums - comes in.

The multinational challenge

This opportunity – and challenge – is particularly complex for employers operating across multiple markets. For multinational employers with operations in India – from tech giants such as Google and Amazon to European financial services firms – GLP-1 drugs could present a benefits conundrum. The same global benefits framework must accommodate markets where GLP-1 drugs are established and expensive, versus markets where they're about to become affordable and ubiquitous.

In the UK for example, where medical inflation is running at 12% - nearly six times faster than general inflation - demand for these treatments is already growing quickly. In the US, GLP-1 treatments are becoming established in corporate health plans.

India is different. Here, employers are preparing for sudden mass adoption among their workforce rather than managing an existing cost.

The outlook

India's GLP-1 market is projected to grow from approximately USD 117.5 million in 2025 to USD 730.8 million by 2033 - nearly sevenfold expansion driven by falling prices post-patent expiry, rising health consciousness among the middle class, pharmaceutical manufacturing presence, and a young workforce expecting modern medical solutions.

For multinational employers, the opportunity is in getting ahead of this curve: understanding how utilisation might shift, modelling cost scenarios, building detailed benefit structures, investing in preventative wellness, and creating communication strategies that help employees understand what they’re covered for and why.

This is an opportunity to build programmes where prevention, treatment, and financial sustainability work together. Where employees feel supported rather than limited, and where multinational organisations are able to tailor local solutions while maintaining global fairness.

India's 2026 patent expiry could therefore be seen as a catalyst for rethinking how employee benefits can benefit both your people and your business.

Leigh Dauncey

Regional Employee Benefits Leader for Middle East, Africa and India (IMEA) 

Howden India