'We do not know about its long-term complications': Top medical association sounds alarm on weight loss drugs

Following the introduction of weight loss drugs in India, the Indian Medical Association has cautioned users about potential long-term complications associated with their use.

“IMA has shared its concerns among its members regarding this because we thought that this should be prescribed by certified endocrinologists or diabetologists. It is a new drug, and we do not know its long-term complications,” said Bhanushali. “We plan to write to the government and the drug controller that this should not be available without proper prescription,” he told ET.

India's obesity crisis:

An alarming new study has found that all adults in two out of 10 households are either overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as a body weight higher than what is considered healthy for a given height, commonly assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI).


A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2. On the other hand, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or greater. The study was conducted by researchers from ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), TERI School of Advanced Studies and Symbiosis International analysed data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in over 6 lakh households.

The results found that nearly 20 per cent of the households had all adult members classified as overweight while 10 per cent of households had all adults classified as obese.

PM Modi on obesity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said obesity is emerging as a major challenge for the country and that everyone must contribute to the fight against it.

Addressing the nation on the 79th Independence Day, Modi said that according to experts, one in every three persons would be obese in the coming years.

"While talking about fitness, I want to express a concern. Every family in the country should be concerned that obesity is becoming a major challenge for our country. We must protect ourselves from obesity," he said.

In this direction, Modi reiterated his previous suggestion and urged families to buy 10 per cent less oil for cooking and also cut its usage by 10 per cent.