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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (March 28, 2026 - April 3, 2026) April 3, 2026 10 India/ Business Ozempic Copies At $14 In India As Generic GLP-1 Era Starts A t least a dozen large Indian drugmakers are set to roll out copies of Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs as soon as the patent expires Friday, crashing prices in the country with the third-largest overweight population. Natco Pharma Ltd. plans to make an injection for semaglutide – the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy – that will have a starting price of 1,290 rupees ($14) a month, on the first day the generics are allowed. The pen device is expected to launch by April and cost about 4,500 rupees a month, it said in a filing. By comparison, Novo’sWegovy pen starts at about 10,480 rupees ($113) in India and about $199 in the US under the self-pay model. Other companies are likely to price the starting dose between 3,000 rupees ($32) and 5,000 rupees a month, according to people familiar with the matter who did not want to be named as the informa- tion is competitive. While Canada was the first to lose patent protection for semaglutide in January, the Canadian health regula- tor hasn’t approved any generics so far effectively making India the first major market to see a flood of copycat versions. The ensuing price war will be closely watched as the Danish drugmaker faces patent expiries in key markets including China, Brazil and Turkey. Bloomberg News parsed company filings and earnings call transcripts to identify at least 12 large drugmakers – Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Dr. Reddy’s Labora- tories Ltd. and Lupin Ltd. among others – that have plans to sell generic semaglutide soon after patent expiry. But the true scale of competition will be much higher. About 42 drug manufacturers, including smaller ones, are expected to launch products under more than 50 brand names this year, said Sheetal Sapale, a researcher at market data firm Pharmarack. ‘Case Study’ India is “an important case-study for the future” loss of exclusivity on this molecule, Jefferies analysts led by James Vane-Tempest wrote in a Feb. 12 note. The broker- age estimates India’s weight-loss market at about $500 million, which “could rise to $1 billion with the right pric- ing, adoption and government incentives.”Health Demand for these weight-loss drugs is also high as India’s 1.4-billion-plus population faces a higher burden of diabetes and cardiovascular ailments, largely due to in- creasingly sedentary urban lifestyles. On the other hand, high-calorie diets, dripping with oil and fat, have led to a large overweight population that trails only the US and China.India Politics Coverage Generic drugmakers are also experimenting with a range of delivery formats, including single-use pre-filled syringes, single-shot pen injectors, vials, and reusable pens with adjustable dosing, the people familiar with the matter said. These are aimed at giving patients more flexibility, reducing the cost burden and making adoption of these anti-obesity therapies easier. Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic andWegovy and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Mounjaro in India cur- rently come in a pre-filled pen with four shots. The tweaked delivery methods can also build brand loyalty. If a patient gets comfortable using a particular device, they usually wouldn’t switch, Pharmarack’s Sapale said. “The reputation of the company in this therapy catego- ry as well as the delivery system will be the differentiators now” since the underlying semaglutide molecule is the same, she added. Indian drugmakers have also started forging alliances. Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. this week announced a licensing partnership with Lupin and Torrent Pharma Ltd., while Eris Lifesciences Ltd. has tied up with Natco Pharma for the marketing of the drug. The generic drugmakers will also focus more on smaller cities where innovator firms have not established a widespread presence, Sapale said. “There will be a lot of noise” in the market as firms fight for share, she added. -Bloomberg PHOTO:DHIRAJ SINGH/BLOOMBERG Injection pens for the weight-loss treatment Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk A/S, on display during a news conference in Mumbai. By Satviki Sanjay Google Top India Counsel Quits In Latest Departure Amid Regulatory Hurdles, Sources Say Google To Label Verified Investment Apps In India Amid Regulatory Crackdown On Fraud G oogle’s top India counsel, Bijoya Roy, has re- signed after 16 months in the role, two sources said, a high-profile exit in a key market where the U.S. tech giant is facing regulatory hurdles and also lacks a government relations head. India is crucial for Alphabet’s Google since most smartphones in the country run on its Android operating system, even as Apple’s share is growing steadily. Google also faces antitrust cases in India, legal chal- lenges over AI training and stricter-than-ever content takedown regulations that started applying to tech com- panies from February. Roy quit last month for personal reasons to start her own venture, said one of the sources on Thursday. The two sources declined to be named as the decision is not public. Google did not respond to a request for comment, while Roy declined to comment. Last year, Google’s head of public policy in India, Sreenivasa Reddy, quit, the second departure for that role in around two years. The company has still not filled the role. In October, Google said it would invest $15 billion over five years to set up an artificial intelligence data centre in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, its biggest ever investment in the world’s most populous nation. -Reuters A lphabet’s Google will label verified investment apps on its app store in India, a move aimed at helping users spot legitimate trading platforms and avoid scams, a senior official at the Securi- ties and Exchange Board of India said onWednesday, March 25, 2026. Only brokers and intermediaries registered with the SEBI, India’s markets regulator, will be allowed to carry a verified badge, which will help users distinguish between legitimate platforms and fraudulent apps. Around 600 financial services apps in India have al- ready been assigned the verified label, said Aditya Swamy, managing director at Google Play, at an event with the SEBI, adding that the company was committed to build- ing an ecosystem of trusted investment apps. Lately, there has been a rise in online financial frauds in India, with scams spreading across apps and social media, sometimes involving unregulated financial in- fluencers promoting high-return opportunities that are often high risk. To curb fraud, the SEBI has barred regulated entities from associating with unregistered financial influenc- ers and taken enforcement action against social media influencers for offering unauthorised investment advice, including market bans and fund impoundment. “The verified badge will make it difficult to imperson- ate genuine financial services apps,” SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said. Pandey added that the regulator has worked out mechanisms with Google and Meta to bar unregistered financial entities from getting advertisements for their content. SEBI will also sign agreements with the country’s electronics and IT ministry within a month to strengthen coordination in tackling financial fraud, said Jeevan Sonparote, director at the regulator. -Reuters By Aditya Kalra By Jayshree P Upadhyay and Nishit Navin