Danish weight-loss drug Wegovy debuts in South Africa, challenging Eli Lilly

Image credit: Reuters

South Africa, which has the continent's fourth-highest number of adults with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation, would represent a key growth opportunity for obesity treatments.

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"One in two adults right now in South Africa is living with excess weight or obesity," Sara Norcross, general manager of Novo Nordisk South Africa, said at the launch event.

"We know that over two-thirds of women and about one in three men are currently living with obesity."

Norcross said that Wegovy, which will be available from Friday, was licensed and registered for weight-loss management in South Africa. Novo already sells Ozempic in South Africa for diabetes treatment.

Novo reaps the majority of its profits from Wegovy sales in the critical US market, where it competes with Eli Lilly's obesity Zepbound drug and Mounjaro, its diabetes medication.

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But the company has said it plans to ramp up Wegovy sales outside of the US.

Eli Lilly sells Mounjaro only for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in South Africa, through Aspen Pharmacare, though the drug's injector pen remains under evaluation by the drug regulator.

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Both Wegovy and Mounjaro belong to a class of therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that help manage blood sugar and slow digestion, making people feel fuller for longer.

More than a billion people now have obesity, according to the World Health Organisation, and around 70% of them live in low and middle-income countries, the World Bank estimates.