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GLP-1 Enthusiast
India's 'Mounjaro brides': weight-loss injections become part of pre-wedding preparation[archived internal link]
REUTERSApr-02-2026 9:00 p.m. ET
* Indian clinics market pre-wedding weight-loss packageswith Mounjaro and Wegovy
* India obesity drugs market seen reaching $860.34million by 2030
* Drug regulator raises concerns over potential misuse aslocal drugmakers launch cheaper weight-loss drugs
By Rishika Sadam
HYDERABAD, India, April 3 (Reuters) - Soon-to-be bridesand grooms seeking shortcuts to shed pounds before the big dayhave become the latest consumer target for weight-loss drugs inIndia.
New Delhi wellness clinic Klarity Skin Clinic touts a"Mounjaro bride" package, while other clinics have wovenweight-loss injections into "pre-wedding" transformationpackages typically focused on skin treatments and hairstylemakeovers.
In a social media video, Klarity offers "guided nutrition,Mounjaro and smart workouts" to prepare brides to walk down theaisle. The clinic did not respond to a request for comment.
Eight doctors interviewed by Reuters said they have beenfielding inquiries from brides, and some grooms, about takingweight-loss drugs before taking their vows. Many asked for EliLilly's (LLY) Mounjaro, the first GLP-1 medication to enterIndia's market for both diabetes and weight loss. It has becomemore sought after than Novo Nordisk's rival Wegovy,the doctors said.
"Over the last few months, over 20% of the queries we'vereceived for obesity injections are from to-be brides, who alsoopenly give us a timeline on how soon they are getting married,"said Rajat Goel, a bariatric surgeon at Hindivine Healthcare inNew Delhi.
He said he prescribed the drugs only if patients weremedically eligible, not for cosmetic use.
TRADITION AND SOCIETAL PRESSURE
Weddings in India are grand affairs for families that canafford them, with culture and tradition exerting a stronginfluence. Many marriages continue to be arranged by families,often bringing expectations around physical appearance andfinancial status.
Aditi, a 26-year-old finance worker from Mumbai, consulted adoctor in November for a weight-loss prescription after exerciseand diet failed to get the desired results.
"When I see the result, I feel happy," Aditi said aboutlosing 10 kilograms (22 pounds) on Mounjaro before her Februarywedding. "If I am not happy, I don't feel confident. I did notwant to feel that way at the time of the wedding."
She is one of the half a dozen brides, and one groom, whospoke to Reuters about pre-wedding use of weight-loss drugs, butasked not to use their family names due to social stigmas. Theycited societal pressure to look a "certain way" at their weddingand most had discontinued the injections soon after.
Novo and Lilly launched their obesity drugs in India lastyear. The market is forecast to reach 80 billion rupees ($851.79million) by 2030. Mounjaro sales doubled in the months afterlaunch, making it the highest-selling drug in the world's mostpopulous nation.
Indian drugmakers began selling cheaper versions of Novo'smedicine last month after the patent on semaglutide, its activeingredient, expired, widening access.
The drugs are intended for adults classified as obese, orfor those considered overweight with a weight-related medicalcondition such as diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea.
"Mounjaro has been approved by regulators for specificmedical indications and is intended to be used only under thesupervision of a qualified healthcare professional," Lilly saidin a statement.
The lowest Mounjaro injection pen dose sells for 13,125rupees ($139.50) per month in India, while the highest dosecosts 25,781 rupees.
Novo, which this week cut prices of Ozempic and Wegovy forthe second time, is selling the lowest Wegovy dose for 5,660rupees ($60.90) and the highest for 16,400 rupees a month.
Novo said it discourages any form of self-medication ofsemaglutide or deviation from the indicated use on label.
CHEAPER DRUGS, MISUSE CONCERNS
India could have more than 440 million overweight or obesepeople by 2050, one of the world's highest totals, according toThe Lancet.
Akshitha, who got married in Hyderabad last year, said thedrugs helped her shed 15 kg (33 pounds), taking her weight to 76kg before the wedding. A family doctor had suggested she try theinjections when she worried about her weight, she said.
"There's so much chaos before the wedding, with all theplanning and preparation. I knew I would not get time to go tothe gym and be on a diet. That's when these drugs looked like abetter option," she said, adding she might consider using themagain after a future pregnancy.
With local drugmakers flooding the market with cheaperweight-loss medicines, India's drugs regulator has raisedconcerns about misuse and intensified scrutiny of unauthorizedsales and promotion.
"We understand the curiosity, but this cannot be a quickfix," said Dr. Swati Pradhan, founder of obesity and metabolicwellness clinic Live Light.
Pradhan said she prescribed the injections to only a fewsoon-to-be brides if they were medically eligible and showedsigns of other medical issues, while insisting on lifestylechanges for sustainable results.
For 27-year-old Priya, a tech worker from Bengaluru,weight-loss drugs became a way to counter body-shaming fromprospective grooms' families.
"I've had men and their families reject my proposal becauseof my weight. I was told I was fat," Priya told Reuters.
She initially used Novo's oral semaglutide, approved inIndia for diabetes, as an off-label treatment and lost more than12 kg before switching to injectable Mounjaro.
Her search for a groom continues.
($1 = 94.0850 Indian rupees)(Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Hyderabad; Editing by BillBerkrot
REUTERSApr-02-2026 9:00 p.m. ET
* Indian clinics market pre-wedding weight-loss packageswith Mounjaro and Wegovy
* India obesity drugs market seen reaching $860.34million by 2030
* Drug regulator raises concerns over potential misuse aslocal drugmakers launch cheaper weight-loss drugs
By Rishika Sadam
HYDERABAD, India, April 3 (Reuters) - Soon-to-be bridesand grooms seeking shortcuts to shed pounds before the big dayhave become the latest consumer target for weight-loss drugs inIndia.
New Delhi wellness clinic Klarity Skin Clinic touts a"Mounjaro bride" package, while other clinics have wovenweight-loss injections into "pre-wedding" transformationpackages typically focused on skin treatments and hairstylemakeovers.
In a social media video, Klarity offers "guided nutrition,Mounjaro and smart workouts" to prepare brides to walk down theaisle. The clinic did not respond to a request for comment.
Eight doctors interviewed by Reuters said they have beenfielding inquiries from brides, and some grooms, about takingweight-loss drugs before taking their vows. Many asked for EliLilly's (LLY) Mounjaro, the first GLP-1 medication to enterIndia's market for both diabetes and weight loss. It has becomemore sought after than Novo Nordisk's rival Wegovy,the doctors said.
"Over the last few months, over 20% of the queries we'vereceived for obesity injections are from to-be brides, who alsoopenly give us a timeline on how soon they are getting married,"said Rajat Goel, a bariatric surgeon at Hindivine Healthcare inNew Delhi.
He said he prescribed the drugs only if patients weremedically eligible, not for cosmetic use.
TRADITION AND SOCIETAL PRESSURE
Weddings in India are grand affairs for families that canafford them, with culture and tradition exerting a stronginfluence. Many marriages continue to be arranged by families,often bringing expectations around physical appearance andfinancial status.
Aditi, a 26-year-old finance worker from Mumbai, consulted adoctor in November for a weight-loss prescription after exerciseand diet failed to get the desired results.
"When I see the result, I feel happy," Aditi said aboutlosing 10 kilograms (22 pounds) on Mounjaro before her Februarywedding. "If I am not happy, I don't feel confident. I did notwant to feel that way at the time of the wedding."
She is one of the half a dozen brides, and one groom, whospoke to Reuters about pre-wedding use of weight-loss drugs, butasked not to use their family names due to social stigmas. Theycited societal pressure to look a "certain way" at their weddingand most had discontinued the injections soon after.
Novo and Lilly launched their obesity drugs in India lastyear. The market is forecast to reach 80 billion rupees ($851.79million) by 2030. Mounjaro sales doubled in the months afterlaunch, making it the highest-selling drug in the world's mostpopulous nation.
Indian drugmakers began selling cheaper versions of Novo'smedicine last month after the patent on semaglutide, its activeingredient, expired, widening access.
The drugs are intended for adults classified as obese, orfor those considered overweight with a weight-related medicalcondition such as diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea.
"Mounjaro has been approved by regulators for specificmedical indications and is intended to be used only under thesupervision of a qualified healthcare professional," Lilly saidin a statement.
The lowest Mounjaro injection pen dose sells for 13,125rupees ($139.50) per month in India, while the highest dosecosts 25,781 rupees.
Novo, which this week cut prices of Ozempic and Wegovy forthe second time, is selling the lowest Wegovy dose for 5,660rupees ($60.90) and the highest for 16,400 rupees a month.
Novo said it discourages any form of self-medication ofsemaglutide or deviation from the indicated use on label.
CHEAPER DRUGS, MISUSE CONCERNS
India could have more than 440 million overweight or obesepeople by 2050, one of the world's highest totals, according toThe Lancet.
Akshitha, who got married in Hyderabad last year, said thedrugs helped her shed 15 kg (33 pounds), taking her weight to 76kg before the wedding. A family doctor had suggested she try theinjections when she worried about her weight, she said.
"There's so much chaos before the wedding, with all theplanning and preparation. I knew I would not get time to go tothe gym and be on a diet. That's when these drugs looked like abetter option," she said, adding she might consider using themagain after a future pregnancy.
With local drugmakers flooding the market with cheaperweight-loss medicines, India's drugs regulator has raisedconcerns about misuse and intensified scrutiny of unauthorizedsales and promotion.
"We understand the curiosity, but this cannot be a quickfix," said Dr. Swati Pradhan, founder of obesity and metabolicwellness clinic Live Light.
Pradhan said she prescribed the injections to only a fewsoon-to-be brides if they were medically eligible and showedsigns of other medical issues, while insisting on lifestylechanges for sustainable results.
For 27-year-old Priya, a tech worker from Bengaluru,weight-loss drugs became a way to counter body-shaming fromprospective grooms' families.
"I've had men and their families reject my proposal becauseof my weight. I was told I was fat," Priya told Reuters.
She initially used Novo's oral semaglutide, approved inIndia for diabetes, as an off-label treatment and lost more than12 kg before switching to injectable Mounjaro.
Her search for a groom continues.
($1 = 94.0850 Indian rupees)(Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Hyderabad; Editing by BillBerkrot
