Filenews 29 April 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
The battle for weight loss is ongoing for a very large portion of people around the planet, but even bigger and lasting, as has been seen over the last four years, is the war between pharmaceutical companies.
All formulations, mainly injectable, that promise rapid weight loss are in a battle for dominance, with Eli Lilly's relatively new injectable drug, Mounjaro, gaining ground against its counterpart Wegovy formulation by Novo Nordisk, which now sees its shares on the stock exchanges record a significant decrease.
The frenzy seen in previous years with the abuse of Novo Nordisk's injectable diabetes drug Ozempic, which was touted as a miracle for weight loss (and for aesthetic reasons) by celebrities and not just around the world, seems to have begun to subside this year.
The abuse, after all, that had been recorded internationally in the use of Ozempic had led the manufacturer to create another drug, Wegovy, with an indication of obesity and the aim of containing the stocks of drugs for diabetics.
Wegovy's reign, however, does not seem to have lasted long. Eli Lilly, like other international pharmaceutical companies, had simultaneously entered the battle to manufacture formulations that would target obese and overweight people. The release of new formulations, which have an indication of the administration of obesity, has probably begun to balance stocks internationally.
The same picture, as the data shows, began to be observed in all available (and in Cyprus) formulations.
Moreover, the incorrect use of diabetes preparations for weight loss purposes for aesthetic reasons, had also caused problems in the General Health System of Cyprus with the Health Security Organization issuing an announcement in April 2024 informing that none of the companies importing medicines of this category wished to include its preparations in the System, which, at that time, was characterized as unprofitable as the private market was much more lucrative and the available reserves were much reduced.
The licensing of Eli Lilly's formulation seems that, at least in Europe, it has begun to gain ground with the situation in Cyprus being quite indicative.
From the very first month of the launch of the new drug in the private market of Cyprus, sales of several hundred packages were recorded. The retail price of this preparation, although generally not dissuasive, certainly does not suit all budgets since it ranges between €230 – €340 (per package), depending on the strength.
As far as Ozempic is concerned, information from "F" states that the HIO intends to include it in the General Health System through which it will be made available to patients, based of course on criteria and indications.
