PPB clears seven more semaglutide brands; generics Sh13,000–18,500 a month
Key points
- PPB approved seven new semaglutide products; five generics are for type 2 diabetes. Kenya already had Ozempic, Wegovy (Novo Nordisk) and generic Truglyx.
- CEO Dr Ahmed Mohamed: same active ingredient does not mean the same approved use — do not swap them casually.
- Reported prices: generics Sh13,000–18,500 a month; originals Sh50,000–75,000 per injection. PPB does not set retail prices.
- WHO put semaglutide on the Essential Medicines list in September 2025. PPB warns against unsupervised weight-loss use and unlicensed sellers.
Seven more semaglutide packs are now legal in Kenya — and the board’s first line is still: this is not a kiosk slimming shot. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board said the new products passed quality, safety and efficacy checks, Eastleigh Voice reported.
Kenya already had two Novo Nordisk originals, Ozempic (type 2 diabetes with diet and activity) and Wegovy (adult weight management at high BMI), plus generic Truglyx launched in Nairobi last month. Five of the new registrations are also diabetes indications. CEO Dr Ahmed Mohamed said patients must not treat every semaglutide as a swap: “their approved uses are not necessarily interchangeable.” WHO added the molecule to its Model List of Essential Medicines in September 2025. Street demand is still for weight loss. PPB repeats: prescription only, after a clinician’s assessment, from authorised shops. Reported monthly cost for generics is Sh13,000–18,500; originals Sh50,000–75,000 per injection. Side-effect list in the same write-up: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, dehydration, kidney risk, pancreatitis and gallbladder trouble — and weight that can return when the pen stops. Unlicensed sellers raise the fake-pack risk the board already knows.
A cheaper generic is not a diet club
Sh13,000 a month is still a second rent. Approvals without clinic protocols will leak into beauty parlours the same week.
Health desk: Health. Verified seven approvals, price bands, Ahmed quotes and WHO EML date from Eastleigh Voice / PPB.
PPB should publish the seven brand names and indications. Counties should inspect unlicensed injectors.
Patients should keep the box and batch; if a seller will not show a licence, walk.
Readers should cross-check any deadline, fee, court date or programme claim against primary gazettes, agency circulars and court records before acting on this report.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the PPB approvals. Prices are reported market ranges, not a gazette.
