Diagnostic chains weigh in as weight-loss drugs take off in India

With India now seeing the arrival of Mounjaro and Wegovy, and cheaper generics expected once semaglutide goes off patent, top labs are curating specialized programmes to track cardiac, liver, pancreatic and metabolic markers for patients starting these treatments. Their bet: as GLP-1 therapy expands from diabetics to the broader obesity segment, diagnostics will become the essential support system that keeps these powerful drugs safe, personalised and scalable.

Tata Group-backed 1mg, which provides lab tests as well as medicine delivery, has seen a total of 2,000 sign-ups for its weight management programme ‘Weightwise’ that was rolled out in April, its co-founder Gaurav Agarwal told Mint. The programme facilitates a combination of GLP-specific diet interventions, physical activity, and gut health and metabolic diagnostics.

“Over 2,000 patients have enrolled in our programme which is operated by obesity specialists and trained nutritionists, to ensure strong clinical expertise helps patients comfortably manage their weight management journey with the science based support," Agarwal added.

On Thursday, listed player Thyrocare Technologies Ltd launched ‘GLP-1 Health Check’–a comprehensive test package comprising 81 tests designed to monitor vital health parameters before, during, and after GLP-1 therapy. Priced at ₹2,799 and available across India, the package helps monitor lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, insulin fasting, HOMA insulin resistance index, liver function test, among others, generally recommended by doctors for patients during and before undertaking the therapy.

“These therapies [GLP-1] are powerful and effective when used responsibly, but they work best when combined with consistent monitoring. With this package, our goal is to make that process easier and more accessible for people across the country," Rahul Guha, managing director and chief executive officer at Thyrocare, said.

The tailored programmes provide up to 81 parameters of testing, ensuring clinicians have the necessary diagnostic data to track metabolic changes and support safe dosing as the anti-obesity category develops. Some panels also conduct more advanced tests like cardiac risk markers and pancreatic enzymes – data crucial for establishing patient baselines, adjusting therapy, and detecting potential side effects or nutritional deficiencies that can occur due to appetite suppression.

“The market is still small but developing fast. The early days of the programme require a fair amount of protocol development as well and we’re seeing good traction," Tata 1mg’s Agarwal noted.

Others are quickly catching up. Metropolis Healthcare is in the process of introducing a GLP-1-specific monitoring package soon, managing director Surendran Chemmenkotil said. “Metropolis Healthcare is closely tracking the evolving clinical landscape around GLP-1 therapies…We are observing a steady rise in laboratory demand linked to metabolic health management," he said.

Metropolis offers dedicated test packages for metabolic and obesity-related evaluations, which include an obesity profile that evaluates biomarkers such as cortisol, adiponectin, and leptin. The chain is now planning to roll out a two-tiered monitoring package for patients on GLP-1 covering regular tests like lipid profile and glucose regulation as well as advanced assessment for patients showing signs of cardiac, renal, or systemic metabolic stress.

“Additionally, our research & development division is evaluating assay kits capable of measuring GLP-1 levels in blood," said Chemmenkotil.

How big is the opportunity?

Globally, these drugs have boomed, with the market expected to reach $95 billion by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs.

While the market for anti-obesity drugs is still nascent in India, it is quickly picking up, as evidenced by Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro’s quick rise to the top . Mounjaro (tirzepatide) was launched in India in late March 2025, and rose to be the country’s top-selling brand in October, with monthly sales of ₹100 crore.

Novo Nordisk also launched its drug Wegovy (semaglutide) in July 2025, and has plans to launch Ozempic soon. Both innovators are battling it out for the Indian market, with domestic partnerships announced recently. The market is expected to see a massive boost in volumes next year, as semaglutide goes off patent, allowing Indian drugmakers to launch cheaper copies.

Doctors say that a comprehensive workup, including several diagnostic tests, medical history, and a physical examination, is needed before prescribing GLP-1s to patients for chronic weight management.

“These workups would tell us that apart from the cosmetic weight loss, which obviously the patient will be very happy with, what are the underlying medical conditions we are trying to resolve or put them into remission with the weight loss," said Mumbai-based diabetologist Dr Rajiv Kovil.

Apart from routine tests such as a blood workup and lipid panel, patients are tested for lung function, sleep apnea, kidney and liver function and screened for heart failure. “Whenever a patient is coming to us with obesity, there is always a workup," said Kovil, adding that bundling these tests under a GLP-1 package is “purely a marketing move".

As the market for weight management and anti-obesity grows rapidly in India, diagnostic players are hoping to cash in on the wave. However, experts believe the drug boom may not translate into an equally large opportunity for diagnostics.

“There will be incremental volumes from those with obesity, apart from existing patients who are diabetic, who are already monitored by doctors," said Vishal Manchanda, pharma analyst at Systematix Group.

The tests involved here are a mix of routine tests like blood panels, and specialized or semi-specialized tests to test for potential complications like pancreatitis, as well as to test for obesity-linked issues like cardiac disease and sleep apnea. The latter will typically be prescribed only once or twice, pre- and post-GLP-1, and not regularly. “I don’t think diagnostic testing will see the kind of volume-value gain the pharmaceutical market will see," said Manchanda.

India has over 254 million people living with obesity and more than 100 million adults with diabetes. A Nuvama research note from July 2025 on the GLP-1 market, estimates that 0.5 million adult, obese Indians will start taking GLP-1s in 2028, and this could grow to 5 million in five years.