“Patents on semaglutide will soon expire in many countries, including India, China, Brazil, Turkey, Canada, and South Africa, permitting cheaper generic versions of the weight loss drug in countries home to a large share of the world’s overweight population,” reports The Doomslayer.
The blockbuster weight loss drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy will soon go generic in countries that are home to 40 percent of the world’s population, significantly lowering the price of a costly medicine that had been largely unaffordable to nearly all but the wealthiest people.
On Saturday, Novo Nordisk, the company that until now has had a monopoly on selling the drug, will lose patent protection in several of the world’s most populous countries. The first generic versions are expected to arrive in India as soon as this weekend. In the coming months, the generics are also expected to become available in China, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa…
Generic makers have not yet disclosed pricing plans. Analysts predicted that as more competitors enter the market, prices for the generics could eventually drop to about $15 a month….
The new markets for generics are enormous. Together, India and China are home to more than 800 million adults who are obese or overweight and more than 360 million adults with diabetes.
In America and Europe, this anti-obesity drug will not go generic until the early 2030s. That is “due to special regulatory protections that are intended to encourage innovation by extending” a drugmaker’s patent, the New York Times says.
Could Ozempic slow the aging process? “A small clinical trial hints that Ozempic might slow aging. After taking the drug for eight months, participants scored three years “younger” on biological age tests, with the biggest gains in brain and immune health,” reported The Doomslayer.
Ozempic may be helpful not just in fighting obesity and diabetes, but also in slowing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell noted that Ozempic will also have a big effect on the economy: “With adult obesity rates falling last year for the first time in more than a decade, drugs such as Ozempic and Zepbound are already reshaping Americans’ waistlines. Now, they’re poised to reshape the entire economy, too.” By last May, 1 in 8 American adults had tried these drugs. “Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes,” these drugs “were soon discovered to be effective in treating obesity and managing weight loss. Now there’s an ever-growing list of other potential uses,” “including for treating heart disease, sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s, substance abuse and maybe even gambling addiction.”
Wegovy is another GLP-1 anti-obesity drug that is having a big impact. “I’m on Wegovy for the rest of my life, but I can show you an entire medicine cabinet full of medications that I no longer have to take,” said Taryn Mitchell, 53, of Greensboro, North Carolina.
Rampell described 7 likely effects of Ozempic, Zepbound, and Wegovy. One is skyrocketing spending on these GLP-1 drugs, which is expected to rise from $40 billion in 2024 to $120 billion in 2030. People are spending billions less on food and alcohol while under the influence of these anti-obesity drugs. Moreover, rapid weight loss has resulted in some people replacing their wardrobes. Airlines are expected to save a large amount of money on fuel once passengers slim down. Life insurers will likely save money and fewer will go broke, given the many causes of mortality associated with obesity.
