“Folks will eat much less, smoke much less, buy much less, and stay longer. They’ll additionally commerce much less? Insurance coverage premiums have to alter, and annuity payouts in pensions will need to be readjusted,” he wrote, pointing to the sweeping second-order results these drugs may set off.
Kamath has been monitoring the area intently, particularly after Eli Lilly launched Mounjaro in India — a GLP-1 drug thought-about much more efficient than Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic. For a rustic with the world’s largest diabetic inhabitants and a rising weight problems curve, the implications may very well be monumental.
Mounjaro, which comprises tirzepatide, mimics a hormone that regulates blood sugar and urge for food. Whereas initially developed for diabetes, it’s proven exceptional weight-loss advantages — serving to customers shed 15–20% of their physique weight, supplied they keep on the drug. The catch? It’s dear. A single-dose vial prices ₹3,500 for two.5 mg or ₹4,375 for five mg. On a typical weekly dose, that provides up to over ₹2 lakh a yr.
Kamath flagged that many of the world — together with India — nonetheless doesn’t absolutely perceive the long-term impression of those drugs. “What we do not know is greater than what we find out about these drugs at this level,” he stated.
However early experiences counsel that GLP-1 drugs go nicely past weight. There are indicators they scale back cravings linked to alcohol, nicotine, playing, and even compulsive purchasing. Some research level to advantages for cardiovascular well being, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and psychological well being. Kamath doesn’t declare certainty, however acknowledges the excitement: “Even when half of what is being reported is true, then this will be the closest factor we have seen to a miracle drug.”
Globally, adoption continues to be low — simply 6% of the U.S. inhabitants is on these drugs — but retail giants like Walmart are already seeing adjustments in client habits. As Kamath notes, the results may snowball throughout sectors, from FMCG to finance.
Importantly, that is only the start. With patents on key elements set to run out in 2026, generic variations could flood the market — pushing costs down and utilization up.
India could have been late to the GLP-1 wave, however that would work to its benefit. The world has supplied a preview of what’s to return. Now the query is: are we prepared?
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