Semagludite for 3 dollars

[Teretere]

Weight-loss jab could be made for $3 a month, study finds



Cheap semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, could help millions with diabetes and obesity in 160 countries

Image unavailable


www.theguardian.com

Great coverage from the Guardian. I hadn't realized there were no patents in Africa!

 

[Grogu]

Reading pieces like this makes me realize how broken certain things are in the US. Thanks to our patent system, large corporations can keep prolonging their patents in all sorts of ways, and Americans just keep shelling out money…. And once a drug’s patent does run out, price-fixing and corporate avarice keep the cost artificially inflated.

Take Liraglutide—its patent ran out in 2024, it’s inexpensive in India, yet here it still runs several hundred dollars each month…. Pharmaceutical-grade generic sema will never actually be “cheap” in this country, not ever.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Agreed.

I realize they pour billions of dollars into research, and plenty of that work either stays stuck in the lab or never reaches patients. Still, honestly...

 

[Raptorrunner]

Large pharmaceutical companies are going to keep building patent thickets around different features of such products, so they can evergreen their grip on the market and squeeze every last dollar out of the public.

 

[Grogu]

Raptorrunner said:

Large pharmaceutical companies are going to keep building patent thickets around different features of such products, so they can evergreen their grip on the market and squeeze every last dollar out of the public.

Additionally, the push to restrict peptides through legislation likely stems from Big Pharma's lobbying efforts.

 

[yrrdead]

Grogu said:

Raptorrunner said:

Large pharmaceutical companies are going to keep building patent thickets around different features of such products, so they can evergreen their grip on the market and squeeze every last dollar out of the public.

Additionally, the push to restrict peptides through legislation likely stems from Big Pharma's lobbying efforts.

In my view, "probably" can be dropped without any risk.

 

[DjJoshua]

Grogu said:

Reading pieces like this makes me realize how broken certain things are in the US. Thanks to our patent system, large corporations can keep prolonging their patents in all sorts of ways, and Americans just keep shelling out money…. And once a drug’s patent does run out, price-fixing and corporate avarice keep the cost artificially inflated.

Take Liraglutide—its patent ran out in 2024, it’s inexpensive in India, yet here it still runs several hundred dollars each month…. Pharmaceutical-grade generic sema will never actually be “cheap” in this country, not ever.

The weight-loss business run by Big Pharma is basically Las Vegas amped up on steroids. Those enormous, shiny casinos weren't constructed because people gambling there went home as winners night after night. Nope — over time, the house comes out ahead, and all those blinking lights exist just to keep the suckers... sorry, the patients... lining up again.

 

[Grogu]

DjJoshua said:

Grogu said:

Reading pieces like this makes me realize how broken certain things are in the US. Thanks to our patent system, large corporations can keep prolonging their patents in all sorts of ways, and Americans just keep shelling out money…. And once a drug’s patent does run out, price-fixing and corporate avarice keep the cost artificially inflated.

Take Liraglutide—its patent ran out in 2024, it’s inexpensive in India, yet here it still runs several hundred dollars each month…. Pharmaceutical-grade generic sema will never actually be “cheap” in this country, not ever.

The weight-loss business run by Big Pharma is basically Las Vegas amped up on steroids. Those enormous, shiny casinos weren't constructed because people gambling there went home as winners night after night. Nope — over time, the house comes out ahead, and all those blinking lights exist just to keep the suckers... sorry, the patients... lining up again.





View attachment 11015

A casino, on the other hand, doesn't act like it cares about your wellbeing .

 

[woundcarping]

Grogu said:

DjJoshua said:

Grogu said:

Reading pieces like this makes me realize how broken certain things are in the US. Thanks to our patent system, large corporations can keep prolonging their patents in all sorts of ways, and Americans just keep shelling out money…. And once a drug’s patent does run out, price-fixing and corporate avarice keep the cost artificially inflated.

Take Liraglutide—its patent ran out in 2024, it’s inexpensive in India, yet here it still runs several hundred dollars each month…. Pharmaceutical-grade generic sema will never actually be “cheap” in this country, not ever.

The weight-loss business run by Big Pharma is basically Las Vegas amped up on steroids. Those enormous, shiny casinos weren't constructed because people gambling there went home as winners night after night. Nope — over time, the house comes out ahead, and all those blinking lights exist just to keep the suckers... sorry, the patients... lining up again.





View attachment 11015

A casino, on the other hand, doesn't act like it cares about your wellbeing .

I'm not sure — a "Wellness check" was just done on me, and it irritated me.

 

[indolent]

It seems odd that the piece puts semaglutide at $200/month in the US. As far as I know, even after setting aside temporary introductory deals, the cost remains above $1K/month no matter who is paying.

 

[GalloB73]

MeedzMoar said:

Agreed.

I realize they pour billions of dollars into research, and plenty of that work either stays stuck in the lab or never reaches patients. Still, honestly...

I'll just put this out there... And yes, that figure is in billions.

Eli Lilly posted an exceptionally robust full-year 2025, generating $65.2 billion in revenue (up 45% versus 2024) alongside $20.6 billion in net profit. The main engine behind this expansion was soaring demand for its diabetes and obesity treatments—Mounjaro and Zepbound in particular—which combined to deliver $36.5 billion.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

yrrdead said:

Grogu said:

Raptorrunner said:

Large pharmaceutical companies are going to keep building patent thickets around different features of such products, so they can evergreen their grip on the market and squeeze every last dollar out of the public.

Additionally, the push to restrict peptides through legislation likely stems from Big Pharma's lobbying efforts.

In my view, "probably" can be dropped without any risk.

"think" can also be taken out without any risk.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

indolent said:

It seems odd that the piece puts semaglutide at $200/month in the US. As far as I know, even after setting aside temporary introductory deals, the cost remains above $1K/month no matter who is paying.

The fine print escaped your attention.

It said: the monthly price of semaglutide in the US is given in 1901 dollars.