India’s ‘Mounjaro brides’ drive pre-wedding demand for weight-loss injections

Soon-to-be brides and grooms seeking shortcuts to shed pounds before the big day have become the latest consumer target for weight-loss drugs in India. New Delhi wellness clinic Klarity Skin Clinic touts a "Mounjaro bride" package, while other clinics have woven weight-loss injections into "pre-wedding" transformation packages typically focused on skin treatments and hairstyle makeovers.

Eight doctors said they have been fielding inquiries from brides, and some grooms, about taking weight-loss drugs before taking their vows. Many asked for Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, the first GLP-1 medication to enter India’s market for both diabetes and weight loss, and it has become more sought after than Novo Nordisk’s rival Wegovy, the doctors said.

"Over the last few months, over 20% of the queries we’ve received for obesity injections are from to-be brides, who also openly give us a timeline on how soon they are getting married," said a bariatric surgeon at a New Delhi healthcare provider. He said he prescribed the drugs only if patients were medically eligible, not for cosmetic use.

Weddings in India are grand affairs for families that can afford them, with culture and tradition exerting a strong influence. Many marriages continue to be arranged by families, often bringing expectations around physical appearance and financial status.

A 26-year-old finance worker from Mumbai consulted a doctor in November for a weight-loss prescription after exercise and diet failed to get the desired results. She said she lost 10 kilograms on Mounjaro before her February wedding. Another woman who got married in Hyderabad last year said the drugs helped her shed 15 kg, taking her weight to 76 kg before the wedding.

Novo and Lilly launched their obesity drugs in India last year. The market is forecast to reach 80 billion rupees ($851.79 million) by 2030. Mounjaro sales doubled in the months after launch, making it the highest-selling drug in the world’s most populous nation.

Indian drugmakers began selling cheaper versions of Novo’s medicine last month after the patent on semaglutide, its active ingredient, expired, widening access. The drugs are intended for adults classified as obese, or for those considered overweight with a weight-related medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea.

The lowest Mounjaro injection pen dose sells for 13,125 rupees ($139.50) per month in India, while the highest dose costs 25,781 rupees. Novo, which cut prices of Ozempic and Wegovy for the second time, is selling the lowest Wegovy dose for 5,660 rupees ($60.90) and the highest for 16,400 rupees a month.

With local drugmakers flooding the market with cheaper weight-loss medicines, India’s drugs regulator has raised concerns about misuse and intensified scrutiny of unauthorized sales and promotion. A founder of an obesity and metabolic wellness clinic said she prescribed the injections to only a few soon-to-be brides if they were medically eligible and showed signs of other medical issues, while insisting on lifestyle changes for sustainable results.