A month after desi Ozempic's debut, vitamin market expands 10%

Key points

• MUMBAI: Just a month after the Ozempic-famed weight-loss and diabetes medicine semaglutide entered the market as a generic, there has been a sudden surge in the demand for nutraceuticals, like multivitamin supplements.
• As patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists, a new class of anti-obesity medicines, face the risk of micronutritional loss, these supplements are being prescribed by clinicians to make up for the deficit.According to Pharmarack, which tracks major Indian pharmaceuticals, the sales of vitamin supplements increased by 11.6% in April (Rs 871.85 crore) compared to March (Rs 780.57 crore).
• The overall vitamin-mineral-nutrition market increased by 10% in the same period.The pharma tracker attributed the growth to the arrival of generic versions of semaglutide.
• On the clinical side, doctors have a straightforward explanation: as appetite is suppressed and food intake is lowered, there is a direct impact on various aspects of health."Muscle loss is one known drawback, which is why doctors...