Obesity on candid camera.

"A day after Semaglutide lost patent protection in India, top drug makers including Dr Reddy's, Sun Pharma and Zydus Lifesciences launched generic versions priced 50-90% below the innovator brands, kicking off an aggressive scramble for share in the fast-growing weight-loss and diabetes market." "GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs such as Semaglutide work by mimicking a natural hormone that signals the brain to feel full and slow down digestion, helping one to eat less and lose weight more effectively." Mint. Concerned by likely indiscriminate use of these drugs the Indian government has published a list of their side effects and has made it illegal to sell without prescription. Defining obesity as BMI over 25 kg/m2, it advised, "Obesity is preventable and reversible. To prevent and reduce obesity," people should: Reduce calories from fats and sugars, increase intake of fruits, vegetables,legumes and whole grains, and exercise daily. pib.gov,in. The use of the body mass index (BMI) by doctors is wrong and emphasis on weight-loss diets on social media are examples of bias against fat people and of fat shaming. withinhealth.com. But buying expensive drugs which mimic dieting is not. Strange. "The India GLP-1 receptor agonist market size was estimated at $110.55 million in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 34.3%" to reach $513.1 million by 2030. Grand View Research. However, eye-watering profits will not be limited to pharma companies. As people put on weight the skin stretches, so rapid, significant weight loss leads to loose folds of skin resulting in facial aging (aao.org) and ugly folds elsewhere in the body (Dr John Burns) which need plastic surgery. Should the drugs be continued lifelong? A study at Cleveland Clinic showed that "After 1 year without medication, those in the obesity group regained an average of 0.5% of body weight, and those treating type 2 diabetes lost average 1.3% of body weight on average." Medical News Today. However, 27% switched to another obesity drug, 20% restarted the original drug, 14% continued exercise and diet and less than 1% required bariatric surgery. That is about 68% of the sample. The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) is considering allowing chemists to sell loose tablets to cut costs for patients who have to buy an entire strip of 10-15 tablets when they may not need more than 5-6. Mint. The chemist will, naturally, keep the part of the strip with the name, price and expiry date so as to be able to sell the rest at a later date. How will anyone know what the patient is taking? At the same time the "Drug Consultative Committee has agreed to make the installation of CCTV cameras at medical stores mandatory." ET. That means no more medical confidentiality as any government official will be able to access information. So, patients and doctors won't know what loose tablets the patient is taking, but the police will. Is that a definition of a 'police state'  (wikipedia)? No wonder, "A nationwide survey of over 1,200 Indian doctors has revealed that more than nine in ten physicians would hesitate to recommend medicine as a career to their own children." India Today. Let politicians, civil servants and the police treat patients as a side hustle. No need for doctors. Everything will be on Candid Camera anyway.