When people in Zambia hear the word Ozempic, many are not thinking about patents, pharmaceutical strategy, or India’s generic drug market. They are thinking about something much simpler. Will this medicine become affordable here, and if it does, will we know how to use it properly?

That is why the recent semaglutide patent expiry in India matters. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, both made by Novo Nordisk. The key point is this: the patent has expired in India, which is opening the door for Indian drug makers to launch cheaper versions there, even though Novo Nordisk says its U.S. compound patent for semaglutide products runs to 2032. This is not a global free-for-all, but it is a major shift in the generic drug market.

And for Zambia, India is never just “over there”. Anyone who buys medicine in Lusaka knows how often Indian-owned pharmacies, Indian wholesalers, and Indian supply chains shape what lands on the shelf. When prices move in India, when more manufacturers enter a category, and when competition increases, that usually changes what becomes possible here as well.

That is what makes this moment worth paying attention to. Not because Ozempic is suddenly about to flood every pharmacy in Zambia tomorrow, but because the economics around this class of drugs are changing. A treatment that once felt like the preserve of wealthy patients abroad could, over time, become more visible and more attainable in our own market.

Before we go any further, it helps to strip away the hype. Ozempic is not a celebrity drug. It is a medicine that helps the body manage blood sugar and appetite by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating. It is mainly used in type 2 diabetes, where the body still makes insulin but does not use it well. It is not a replacement for insulin in type 1 diabetes.

The problem is that by the time Ozempic reaches conversation online, it is no longer being discussed like a diabetes medicine. It is discussed like a body shortcut. Social media in the West has turned it into a status symbol for thinness, a quick route to appetite suppression, and a fashionable answer to weight loss. That story travels much faster than the medical one. Reuters has reported both the rush of cheaper Indian launches and India’s regulator tightening surveillance because of unauthorised sales and misleading promotion.

So now imagine what happens when the price starts dropping, the supply chain widens, and awareness rises in a country where health information is already uneven. People do not just receive the drug. They receive the aspiration around the drug. They hear that it makes people lose weight. They hear that rich people abroad are using it. They hear that it works fast. What they often do not hear is who it is for, what supervision it needs, what side effects can happen, and what happens when you take it casually, stop suddenly, or use it without proper follow-up.

That is where the risk begins.

Because Zambia does not have a strong culture of structured onboarding for medications like this. Many people still leave consultations with only half the information they need. Pharmacies are often the most accessible point of care, but pharmacies are not meant to replace long-term education, behavioural support, or proper medical review. A drug can become cheaper far faster than a system can become wiser.

That matters because Ozempic is not paracetamol. It affects appetite, digestion, blood sugar, and how people relate to food. In a setting like ours, where meals are social, portions are shared, and many people are already navigating inconsistent follow-up care, this kind of medication cannot simply be dropped into the market and expected to sort itself out. If someone feels nauseous, eats too little, misreads the effect, or takes it mainly for cosmetic reasons, the issue is no longer just access. The issue is misuse.
And misuse will not always look dramatic. Sometimes it will look like somebody taking it because a friend recommended it. Sometimes it will look like stopping and starting depending on money. Sometimes it will look like chasing weight loss without understanding the metabolic reason the drug exists. Sometimes it will look like people assuming all diabetes drugs do the same thing, which they do not.

This is why I keep coming back to the same point. The gap was never just demand. People have always wanted better tools. People in Zambia are not less interested in better health than people in London or Dubai. What has often been missing is an access model that
fits local income, local trust, and local behaviour, followed by real support once the product arrives.

So yes, the patent shift in India matters. It matters because it could make semaglutide-based medicines cheaper. It matters because Indian manufacturers are already launching lower-cost versions at scale. It matters because that will almost certainly influence what African markets, including ours, can access over time. But if we only celebrate the lower price and ignore the information gap, we will repeat a familiar problem in a new package.

We do not just need cheaper drugs. We need better translation around them. We need clearer prescribing, better explanation, stronger follow-up, and more honesty about what happens when a diabetes medicine gets absorbed into beauty culture before the health system has caught up. Otherwise, what looks like progress on the shelf may still fail in real life.

That, to me, is the real story on the ground in Zambia. Not simply whether Ozempic becomes cheaper, but whether cheaper access arrives with enough context to protect people from confusion, misuse, and disappointment. Because in health, as in most things, a product entering the market is only the beginning. What matters is what people are taught to do with it after it arrives.

Kaajal Vaghela is a sportswear designer and diabetes wellness consultant with over three decades of lived experience managing Type 1 diabetes. Having previously served as Chairperson of the Lusaka branch of the Diabetes Association of Zambia, she remains a passionate advocate for breaking down myths and building awareness about diabetes. For more personalised coaching or corporate wellness workshops, visit: www.kaajalvaghela.com and for any feedback: [email protected])