The rapid development of ‘affordable’ weight loss drugs

The obesity epidemic

Since 1990, the obesity rate has doubled with 1 in 8 people suffering from the disease. In India, 70% of its urban population is overweight with a prevalence of 40.3%.

It was also seen that women were more susceptible compared to men across the nation. Similarly in China, nearly half the population is classified to suffer from obesity with rates doubling between 2004 and 2018, from 3.1% to 8.1%.

Hence, with the arrival of cheaper biosimilars, experts predict that it would be a ‘game change’ significantly increasing access to these effective weight loss drugs for the hundreds of millions of overweight and obese people in India and China. These versions of the weight-loss drugs are expected to be priced significantly lower than the original ones.

Moreover, the entry of multiple biosimilar competitors, as allowed by the loss of patent protections is predicted to drive severe price competition, further lowering production costs. Not to mention, that increased accessibility and affordability would allow more healthcare providers to prescribe these medications, giving patients suffering from obesity to counter-act their health risks.

In the long term, these biosimilar drugs may end up reducing the mortality rate associated with obesity-related complications.

Possible repercussions

Though the benefits seem almost direct, it does not come without potential setbacks. Easier access to these medications, if not properly regulated, could lead to overprescription by healthcare providers, even for patients who may not meet the clinical criteria for their use.

People will, inevitably, misuse or abuse these drugs for rapid weight loss if they become widely available and affordable. As a result, overuse of GLP-1 drugs may lead to issues ranging from severe nausea to abdominal pain. At its worst, it could even cause significant changes in blood salt levels and inflammation in the pancreas gland.

Additionally, these drugs require frequent usage over time to maintain the benefits of weight loss. If stopped, it may lead to rapid weight gain. With the rise of these drugs also comes the exacerbation of mental health concerns associated with social media and body image.

As biosimilar versions of these drugs roll out, it will be important to carefully evaluate their physiological effects to ensure they have a similar safety and tolerability profile to the reference products.

Given the cosmetic obsession with current treatments has yet to tail off, we could well be on a slippery slope to a new health epidemic.