India's 'Mounjaro brides': weight-loss injections become part of pre-wedding preparation

Highlights:

• Indian clinics market pre-wedding weight-loss packages with Mounjaro and Wegovy
• India obesity drugs market seen reaching $860.34 million by 2030
• Drug regulator raises concerns over potential misuse as local drugmakers launch cheaper weight-loss drugs

Soon-to-be brides and grooms seeking shortcuts to shed pounds before the big day have become the latest consumer target for weight-loss drugs in India.

New Delhi wellness clinic Klarity Skin Clinic touts a "Mounjaro bride" package, while other clinics have woven weight-loss injections into "pre-wedding" transformation packages typically focused on skin treatments and hairstyle makeovers.

In a social media video, Klarity offers "guided nutrition, Mounjaro and smart workouts" to prepare brides to walk down the aisle. The clinic did not respond to a request for comment.

Eight doctors interviewed by Reuters said they have been fielding enquiries from brides, and some grooms, about taking weight-loss drugs before taking their vows. Many asked for Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, the first GLP-1 medication to enter India's market for both diabetes and weight loss. It has become more sought after than Novo Nordisk's rival Wegovy, the doctors said.

"Over the last few months, over 20% of the queries we've received for obesity injections are from to-be brides, who also openly give us a timeline on how soon they are getting married," said Rajat Goel, a bariatric surgeon at Hindivine Healthcare in New Delhi.

He said he prescribed the drugs only if patients were medically eligible, not for cosmetic use.

Tradition and societal pressure

Weddings in India are grand affairs for families that can afford them, with culture and tradition exerting a strong influence. Many marriages continue to be arranged by families, often bringing expectations around physical appearance and financial status.

Aditi, a 26-year-old finance worker from Mumbai, consulted a doctor in November for a weight-loss prescription after exercise and diet failed to get the desired results.

"When I see the result, I feel happy," Aditi said about losing 10 kilograms (22 pounds) on Mounjaro before her February wedding. "If I am not happy, I don't feel confident. I did not want to feel that way at the time of the wedding."

She is one of the half a dozen brides, and one groom, who spoke to Reuters about pre-wedding use of weight-loss drugs, but asked not to use their family names due to social stigmas. They cited societal pressure to look a "certain way" at their wedding and most had discontinued the injections soon after.

Novo and Lilly launched their obesity drugs in India last year. The market is forecast to reach 80 billion rupees ($851.79 million) by 2030. Mounjaro sales doubled in the months after launch, making it the highest-selling drug in the world's most populous nation.

Indian drugmakers began selling cheaper versions of Novo's medicine last month after the patent on semaglutide, its active ingredient, expired, widening access.

The drugs are intended for adults classified as obese, or for those considered overweight with a weight-related medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnoea.

"Mounjaro has been approved by regulators for specific medical indications and is intended to be used only under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional," Lilly said in a statement.

The lowest Mounjaro injection pen dose sells for 13,125 rupees ($139.50) per month in India, while the highest dose costs 25,781 rupees.

Novo, which this week cut prices of Ozempic and Wegovy for the second time, is selling the lowest Wegovy dose for 5,660 rupees ($60.90) and the highest for 16,400 rupees a month.

Novo said it discourages any form of self-medication of semaglutide or deviation from the indicated use on label.

Cheaper drugs, misuse concerns

India could have more than 440 million overweight or obese people by 2050, one of the world's highest totals, according to The Lancet.

Akshitha, who got married in Hyderabad last year, said the drugs helped her shed 15 kg (33 pounds), taking her weight to 76 kg before the wedding. A family doctor had suggested she try the injections when she worried about her weight, she said.

"There's so much chaos before the wedding, with all the planning and preparation. I knew I would not get time to go to the gym and be on a diet. That's when these drugs looked like a better option," she said, adding she might consider using them again after a future pregnancy.

With local drugmakers flooding the market with cheaper weight-loss medicines, India's drugs regulator has raised concerns about misuse and intensified scrutiny of unauthorised sales and promotion.

"We understand the curiosity, but this cannot be a quick fix," said Dr Swati Pradhan, founder of obesity and metabolic wellness clinic Live Light.

Pradhan said she prescribed the injections to only a few soon-to-be brides if they were medically eligible and showed signs of other medical issues, while insisting on lifestyle changes for sustainable results.

For 27-year-old Priya, a tech worker from Bengaluru, weight-loss drugs became a way to counter body-shaming from prospective grooms' families.

"I've had men and their families reject my proposal because of my weight. I was told I was fat," Priya told Reuters.

She initially used Novo's oral semaglutide, approved in India for diabetes, as an off-label treatment and lost more than 12 kg before switching to injectable Mounjaro.

Her search for a groom continues.