Overview
- The Union Health Ministry issued a detailed advisory Wednesday, warning that GLP-1 medicines must be used only under specialist care because they are powerful prescription drugs for diabetes and weight loss.
- Regulators at the DCGI and CDSCO have intensified checks on pharmacies, online sellers, wholesalers and slimming clinics, with 49 entities inspected, notices issued for breaches and warnings of licence cancellation, fines and prosecution.
- Prescribing is restricted to endocrinologists, internal medicine physicians and cardiologists, and officials stress the drugs are not sold over the counter and should be obtained only through authorised, regulated channels.
- The advisory lists risks that range from nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea to rare but serious harms such as pancreatitis, acute kidney injury, bowel obstruction and medullary thyroid cancer, with added warnings about allergic reactions, low blood sugar in some users and pregnancy-related dangers.
- Access has widened after semaglutide’s patent lapse and price cuts by manufacturers, which, along with online and clinic promotions, have driven demand and raised misuse concerns that authorities say will face continued surveillance.