Generic weight loss drugs are in SA. Will they kill the black market?
The introduction of generic versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic is expected to disrupt the high-cost market for these medications. These drugs, originally derived from Gila monster venom, have seen massive global demand for diabetes and weight management.
Why it matters
Increased accessibility through generics could significantly lower costs for patients and challenge the dominance of expensive brand-name pharmaceutical products.
It was a carnivorous lizard with a forked tongue, sharp claws and beaded skin that helped rewire the appetite of millions of people around the world, making hunger something you can switch off with a few clicks and a jab.
In the 1990s, an American scientist named John Eng identified an interesting molecule in the venom of the Gila monster, which spends most of its life underground in North American deserts.
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