Illegal weight-loss medicines are facing increased scrutiny as pharmaceutical manufacturers demand stronger law enforcement and regulators prepare tighter rules governing compounded obesity treatments. The Pharmaceutical Task Group (PTG) has called for prosecutions against individuals and businesses selling unregistered medicines. Meanwhile, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and South African Pharmacy Council are developing updated compounding standards. The interventions…
Tag: Eli Lilly
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Aspen Pharmacare Earnings Jump 22% on Mounjaro Demand
Aspen Pharmacare earnings surged in its latest financial year, with normalised headline earnings per share climbing 22% on the back of booming demand for weight-loss medicines. Africa’s largest drugmaker reported the rise on Wednesday for the year ending 30 June. The standout driver was Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, which Aspen promotes and sells across South Africa and other Sub-Saharan African markets…
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Sun Pharma’s Generic Semaglutide Gets SA Approval
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has received regulatory approval to manufacture and sell a generic semaglutide injection in South Africa. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, or SAHPRA, approved the medicine for adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s diabetes medicine Ozempic. It is also used in the company’s Wegovy weight-loss treatment. The…
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US Prescription Drug Spending to Top $560bn in 2026
US prescription drug spending will top $560 billion in 2026, according to current projections. This would represent an 8.2% increase from the previous year. Growing demand for obesity and diabetes treatments is partly driving this rise. These include a new generation of GLP-1 medicines. Projections show prescription medicines outpacing all other major categories of healthcare spending in the US. Their…
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Eli Lilly 2026 Guidance Signals Momentum In Obesity Care
Eli Lilly has forecast 2026 profit and revenue above Wall Street expectations, reinforcing how fast the obesity market is reshaping Big Pharma growth plans. The recent Eli Lilly 2026 Guidance reflects the company’s confidence in strong future performance. The company also beat estimates for fourth-quarter earnings, helped by strong demand for its injectable weight-loss and diabetes medicines. For Q4, Lilly…
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Aspen APAC Divestment Unlocks R26.5 Billion For GLP-1 Focus
Shares in Aspen Pharmacare soared by more than 20% at the close of December, following a major strategic pivot. Africa’s largest drugmaker announced a landmark agreement to sell its entire Asia-Pacific (APAC) operations – excluding China – to Australia’s BGH Capital for A$2.37 billion (around R26.5 billion). The Aspen APAC divestment comes after an unsolicited offer from the private equity…
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Lilly Hits $1 Trillion Valuation with Weight-Loss Success
In a historic milestone for the pharmaceutical industry, Eli Lilly surged to a market value of $1 trillion on Friday. It became the first drugmaker to join an exclusive club previously dominated by technology heavyweights. This event marked the moment Lilly hit a $1 trillion valuation. It highlighted the company’s rapid ascent as a global powerhouse in the weight-loss sector.…
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Aspen Targets Mounjaro Expansion in Africa Following Approval
Aspen targeting Mounjaro expansion will bring the high-demand drug Mounjaro to Sub-Saharan Africa. Mounjaro is also known as tirzepatide. Launches across the continent are anticipated in 2026. CEO Stephen Saad confirmed this plan. He announced it in his annual letter to shareholders. The move follows major success in South Africa. It also comes after a new regulatory approval. This approval…
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Aspen Boosted by Mounjaro: A New Era in Weight Loss
Aspen Pharmacare’s share price saw a notable increase. This followed the announcement that the high-profile diabetes drug, Mounjaro (tirzepatide), has received approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for use as a chronic weight management treatment. Aspen was notably boosted by Mounjaro’s approval, signalling a positive development for the company. The JSE-listed pharmaceutical giant confirmed that SAHPRA…
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Novo Nordisk Hiring Freeze After Wegovy Sales Decline
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which rode a wave of unprecedented success with its weight-loss drug Wegovy, has announced a global hiring freeze for non-critical roles. This signals a dramatic shift from rapid expansion to rigorous cost-cutting. Sales begin to slow and competition intensifies. Novo Nordisk’s hiring freeze is a significant turn for the company. The Wegovy Hiring Spree The…
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Ozempic and Mounjaro are reshaping South Africa’s health market
The landscape of weight management and diabetes treatment in South Africa is undergoing a dramatic transformation. This change is driven by the meteoric rise in popularity of a class of drugs known as GLP-1s, including Ozempic and Mounjaro. These medications, initially developed for Type 2 diabetes, have shown significant efficacy in promoting weight loss. As a result, there is unprecedented…
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Lilly’s Orforglipron Shows Significant Weight Loss in Phase 3 Trial
Eli Lilly has announced promising results from a Phase 3 trial of its oral drug, orforglipron. The trial demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing weight and blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Significant Weight Loss and Blood Sugar Control with Orforglipron In the 40-week study, patients taking orforglipron lost up to 7.9% of their body weight (approximately 16…