Drugmaker Aspen targets Mounjaro approval in sub-Saharan Africa this year
Aspen Pharmacare aims to secure sub‑Saharan African approval for Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight‑loss drug Mounjaro as early as this year, its CEO said on Wednesday, capitalising on soaring regional demand for obesity treatments.
South Africa-based Aspen’s push to register Mounjaro across the region signals its bid to become a key manufacturing and distribution partner for global drugmakers eyeing one of the last major untapped markets for GLP‑1 weight‑loss treatments.
GLP‑1 treatments are not yet widely available in the continent, offering both growth potential and a test of how quickly such drugs can reach lower‑income countries.
The registration in South Africa "of the KwikPen (a pre-filled multi-injection device) gave us an opportunity now to register the product across sub-Saharan Africa, and we expect registrations from as early as this calendar year," CEO Stephen Saad told investors a day after reporting its earnings.
MOUNJARO DRIVING DEMAND FOR GLP-1 DRUGS
Mounjaro, launched in South Africa late in 2024, has driven surging demand for weight-loss drugs, pushing the GLP-1 market to about R2.2-billion and still growing, Saad said.
The market's value has tripled in 18 months, with Mounjaro's share more than doubling to 52% at the end of January from 21% in the quarter ended April 2025, helped largely by regulatory approval for chronic weight management, Saad added.
He expects sales of Mounjaro to be over R1.3-billion in the year through June.
"It will be the quickest brand to reach a-billion rand sales in the South African private market," he said.
In South Africa, the US drugmaker Lilly competes with Denmark's Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy and Ozempic and has indicated plans to expand into Africa following its South Africa launch of Wegovy.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
















