Cut-price generic forms of popular weight-loss drugs could open up the health benefits of the medications to millions of patients, but doctors have urged caution over their unsupervised use.
New mass-produced semaglutide medications, costing about 70 per cent less than existing brand name drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, have huge potential to disrupt the booming market.
Ozempic is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is prescribed in the UAE to treat obesity.
Both drugs have surged in popularity due to their weight-loss properties, but can cost about $200 for a month-long supply.
Uptake of generic weight-loss drugs will depend on local regulatory approvals, product quality and clinical guidelines, as well as physician confidence in specific products.
The drugs’ Danish manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, had a patent on their key ingredient – semaglutide – that has just expired in India.
That has opened the door for generic manufacturers to capitalise on what is now a free market, with copycat medicines costing a fraction of the original price.
Ravi Sharma, chief pharmacy officer at Burjeel Holdings, said lower-cost generic semaglutide can be an inflection point in metabolic care.
“This can expand access to treatment for both diabetes and obesity,” Mr Sharma said.
“More patients may be eligible for treatment, particularly those who couldn’t afford it previously.
“In the healthcare market, the demand for GLP-1 therapies is already high, and the lower prices are expected to increase it further.”
When it comes to any new generic medicine, healthcare providers would be expected to adopt a highly structured and evidence-based approach.
Hospitals may choose generics over brand-name drugs, if they meet the same clinical and quality standards, while supporting wider patient access without compromising care, Mr Sharma said.
“Regulators across the world have already signalled the need for vigilance as lower-cost versions enter the market,” Mr Sharma said.
“For patients in the UAE, it is important to remember that the treatment should only be obtained through licensed healthcare providers and regulated supply channels, under appropriate medical supervision.”
Fast acting injectable
To keep pace in an evolving market, Novo Nordisk hopes demand will increase for its Wegovy high-dose weekly injectable.
The 7.2mg semaglutide drug won US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval after it demonstrated a 20.7 per cent mean weight loss in participants with obesity, while one in three people showed 25 per cent or greater weight loss.
A global market for obesity drugs is forecast to be worth more than $100 billion by 2030, with leading manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly expected to control more than 80 per cent of the industry.
However, generic semaglutide drugs pose a real threat to that dominance, with more than 40 Indian manufacturers looking to launch similar products in Latin America, Brazil, Canada and Turkey.
Prices of a new band of generic weight-loss medications range from about $13 a month, to about $44 for a month's supply.
A representative for Novo Nordisk said the company was equipped to deal with greater market competition.
“Patent expiry is a natural part of a pharmaceutical product life cycle and Novo Nordisk is well equipped to navigate the evolving landscape that accompanies loss of exclusivity for semaglutide,” they said.
“The inclusion of semaglutide on the World Health Organisation Essential Medicines List further supports the health benefits of this innovative treatment.
“Significant unmet needs remain in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and obesity – both in meeting demand for existing medicines and developing new innovations.
“This creates substantial opportunities to treat more patients and maintain our global leadership.”
Side effects
While opening up access to medications that can improve overall health by aiding weight loss, that could also bring more challenges, said to Dr Samir Rahmani, head of bariatric surgery at NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park.
“These medications have been in the market for over 10 years, and haven’t been controlled at all until quite recently, so anybody can just go and buy it from any pharmacy,” he said.
“Since 2023, they must go through a prescription by a doctor and be monitored by either an endocrinologist or a weight loss specialist.
“Yet people can still access these without prescription, just today I saw a patient in the ICU was having very inflamed pancreas from an overdose.
“There are complications which we know of, but other things that we don't know on the long term.
“There is a role in general for them to help, but I don't give them for more than five or six months maximum.”
