These cheap weight-loss drugs are going global - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

For millions of people living with obesity, weight loss drugs have been hailed as a game changer. They’re known as GLP-1s but are more commonly known by their trade names: Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM So far they’ve only been made by two companies in Denmark and the US and they’re pretty expensive. But now the patents for these drugs have expired in China and India, which means pharmaceutical companies in those countries can now make cheaper copies. India has a reputation as the "pharmacy of the world" because of its ability to turn expensive medicines into affordable mass-market products. The country is the world's largest supplier of generic medicines. Indian companies are already starting to produce and sell these weight loss drugs. So what impact will this have on the cost and supply of weight loss drugs in India and around the world? Archana Shukla, the BBC’s India business correspondent in Mumbai, tells us why the expiry of the patents is such a big deal. And BBC Health correspondent James Gallagher explains how these drugs work. 00:00 Introduction 01:22 Why is there a boom in India? 02:27 What is a patent and why does it matter? 04:10 How generics are changing the market 04:51 A doctor's perspective 05:34 How do GLP-1s actually work? 06:51 How easy is it to get them in India? 08:45 India: the pharmacy of the world Watch more episodes from What in the World here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4eMOlGZclzdcHmv7s8BFQE6 Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates, Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Video Producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #weightloss #ozempic #wegovy