Research suggests semaglutide could be mass produced for $3 for a monthly injectable form, or about $16 a month for a tablet form.
Share
New analysis suggests weight-loss jabs could be produced for around $3 a month, increasing the availability of the drugs to millions more patients globally.
Semaglutide, sold to treat obesity under the brand Wegovy and for diabetes as Ozempic, was designated as an essential medicine in September 2025 by the World Health Organisation.
High prices at the time were flagged by global health leaders as restricting access to the medicine.
New research suggests that as patents on the treatment expire, new formulations of the drug – including producing it as a pill rather than an injection – could be made at a considerably reduced rate.
The new research was published as a pre-print, and suggests the product could retail at around $3 (about £2.35) for a monthly dose in the currently injectable form.
Production of the drug in pill form, rather than injection, could be made for around $16 a month.
One of the authors, Dr Andrew Hill of Liverpool University’s pharmacology department, said these prices would allow global access to this "essential medicine".
Research within the paper also reported that core patents on semaglutide are set to expire in 10 countries in 2026, including China, India and Canada from March 21 – opening the market up to generic competition – and identified a further 150 countries were patents had not been filed.
Over a billion people currently live with obesity globally, with rates rocketing in lower-income nations as westernised diets are introduced.
The 160 countries listed account for 69% of those with type 2 diabetes, and 84% of those with obesity.
Another author, Prof François Venter from Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, expressed his desire to bring down prices.
"Drugs to treat HIV, TB, malaria and hepatitis are available in low- and middle-income countries for prices close to the cost of production, saving millions of lives while allowing generic companies to make sufficient profit to ensure sustainable supply.
"We can repeat this medical success story for semaglutide.”