South Africa has yet to begin assessing GLP-1 obesity treatment for public sector patients, despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending these medicines for long-term obesity management in December 2025. The Department of Health is considering adding GLP-1 medicines to its essential medicines list for diabetes treatment. However, it has not started evaluating their use specifically for obesity. Rebone Ntsie,…
Tag: GLP-1
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Clicks Growth Strategy Targets GLP-1 Medicines, Oncology
The Clicks growth strategy is moving the retailer beyond its pharmacy roots, with CEO Bertina Engelbrecht targeting GLP-1 medicines, specialist healthcare and medical consumables. Clicks has raised its pharmacy market share to 24.7% and operates 835 pharmacies and 225 clinics. GLP-1 medicines the biggest near-term opportunity Engelbrecht sees GLP-1 medicines as the biggest short-term opportunity. These drugs treat diabetes and…
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AI in Healthcare: RFK Jr Wants Patients to Take Charge
US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has set ambitious expectations for AI in healthcare, arguing it should help Americans make their own medical decisions. He wants every American to act as the chief executive of their own health, Bloomberg reported. Speaking at the MAHA Summit on Wednesday, Kennedy said doctors cannot review long medical records in short consultations. A…
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Buy Now Pay Later Comes to Weight-Loss Drugs in South Africa
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit can now be used to pay for weight-loss medicines. This comes as a new doctor-led programme tries to make sought-after GLP-1 drugs more affordable. Obiflex offers virtual consultations with doctors who can prescribe the medicines. Furthermore, it lets patients spread their monthly treatment cost over instalments. How the buy now, pay later offer works…
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Aspen Bets Recovery on Filling Sterile Manufacturing Lines
Aspen Pharmacare’s turnaround now hinges on its sterile manufacturing, the costly network of injectable-drug plants it must fill. This follows last year’s collapse of a major mRNA contract. CEO Stephen Saad sums up the setback with a farmer’s phrase: “We lost the milk but not the cow.” The contract’s loss blew roughly R2bn out of the manufacturing division’s expected earnings.…
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US Healthcare Affordability Crisis Squeezes Small Employers
The healthcare affordability crisis in the United States is straining employers of every size, but it is hitting small businesses hardest. Employers expect health costs to rise by nearly 10% on average in 2027. For many small firms, the rise is expected to be roughly double, according to survey data cited in a recent commentary. Because most Americans have employer-sponsored…
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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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GLP-1 Generics Could Reshape Local Obesity Market
A new wave of generic GLP-1 medicines could transform South Africa’s fast-growing obesity treatment market. Sun Pharma recently launched the country’s first generic semaglutide injection for type 2 diabetes through its Ranbaxy subsidiary. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) is considering another 13 semaglutide applications. The opportunity is substantial. Morgan Stanley expects the global GLP-1 market to reach…
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Unregistered GLP-1 Medicines Crackdown Escalates In SA
The national medicines regulator has intensified its enforcement action against the unlawful manufacture and distribution of unregistered GLP-1 therapies. This development comes as concerns grow over South Africa’s rapidly expanding and largely unregulated weight-loss drug market. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) confirmed they seized several injectable products. The raid took…
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GLP-1 Drugs In SA Start To Reshape Food And Alcohol Spend
GLP-1 drugs have moved fast. They started as treatments for type-2 diabetes. Now they are a global health and consumer trend. In South Africa, medicines such as Ozempic and other semaglutide-based therapies are attracting wider attention. The reason is simple. These drugs reduce appetite and support weight management. They also sit within a bigger shift towards preventive health. Some researchers…
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Weight Management Spending Reshapes Household Budgets
South Africans are opening their wallets in pursuit of better health. But this is not only about occasional wellness treats. A new pattern is forming in everyday spending. Weight management is moving from a personal goal to a budget line item, according to new findings from Visa and Discovery Bank. The report shows that supplements and vitamins still account for…
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GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications Gain Traction In South Africa
South Africa is witnessing the early stages of a significant shift in the healthcare and consumer goods sectors. New data reveal that GLP-1 weight loss medications are beginning to gain a foothold in the local market. While global headlines have been dominated by brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, the South African landscape is currently defined by both high potential…