Saudi Arabia recalls coffee and dark chocolate with ginseng due to health risks

The global market for anti-obesity drugs is projected by Goldman Sachs to reach $130 billion by 2030. This growth is driven by high demand for popular medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, which is transforming the pharmaceutical industry.

GLP-1 class drugs, originally developed for diabetes treatment, have become a global phenomenon for weight loss. This unprecedented demand has exceeded the available supply, creating opportunities for generic manufacturers, combination products, and counterfeit medicines.

For the past decade, companies Novo Nordisk from Denmark and Eli Lilly from the USA dominated, accounting for about 90% of global sales. However, this dominance is beginning to weaken as key patents expire in several markets starting in 2026.

This shift is already being observed in Africa, where South Africa is emerging as a key battleground. In June, Novo Nordisk received a temporary injunction preventing the pharmacy group iDexis in South Africa from manufacturing, promoting, and selling combination versions of semaglutide—the active component of Ozempic. The company justified this by stating that the product lacks regulatory approval.

Just a few weeks later, the South African drug regulatory authority confirmed it was reviewing 12 applications for semaglutide generics following the expiration of the Novo Nordisk patent in March. As a result, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries from India became the first to receive authorization to manufacture and sell a semaglutide generic in South Africa, paving the way for more affordable alternatives.

In response, Novo Nordisk announced plans to launch an approved version of Ozempic at a lower price in South Africa in partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino. The new product, named Extensior, will contain the same active ingredient—semaglutide.

Although the company has not yet announced a launch date in other sub-Saharan African countries, analysts expect increased competition across the continent amid growing demand for obesity treatments. Kenya is being considered as one of the next major markets. Health authorities have warned about the rise of illegal trade in weight loss drugs used inappropriately, as well as counterfeit Ozempic syringes, highlighting the difficulties regulators face because demand outpaces legal supply.

For consumers, generics and cheaper options can make previously inaccessible treatment more affordable. In some regions, brand-name GLP-1 drugs cost over a thousand dollars per month when paid for out-of-pocket.

Nevertheless, experts warn that greater accessibility also increases the risk of misuse, unregulated sales, and the emergence of counterfeits, putting further pressure on regulators to strengthen oversight while ensuring patient access to safe and effective medicines.

The Nigerian government announced on Wednesday significant progress in the fight against malaria: the disease prevalence has dropped from 42 percent in 2010 to 15 percent by 2025, resulting from more than a decade of continuous control measures.

The Nigerian Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Isiak Adekunle Salako, noted that this reduction indicates substantial success in combating malaria in Africa's most populous country and marks a major milestone in public health.

Speaking to journalists, Salako explained the achieved results through a complex set of measures, including vector control, expanded access to diagnosis and treatment, strengthening of epidemiological surveillance systems, preventive programs, and the successful implementation of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in northern Nigeria.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that Nigeria continues to bear the largest global burden of malaria, accounting for about 24.3 percent of worldwide cases. Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death among children under five, necessitating additional evidence-based interventions to accelerate the eradication of the disease.

Furthermore, Salako reported that the government has introduced periodic prophylactic treatment for infants in states not covered by SMC, following World Health Organization recommendations for malaria-endemic countries.

In October 2024, Nigeria included a free malaria vaccine in its routine immunization program for children under one year of age. In the first phase of the campaign, over 800,000 vaccine doses were distributed.

According to the 2025 World Malaria Report, nearly 200,000 malaria-related deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2024, with the highest risk remaining among pregnant women and children under five.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading faster than response measures can cope. In some hotspots, the number of new infections is doubling, and frontline healthcare workers are disrupting services due to strikes.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued this warning on Wednesday during a visit to the DRC, noting that this Ebola epidemic is the fastest-growing in history. After meeting with government officials in the capital, Kinshasa, Tedros stated in an X post: 'In some hotspots, new cases are doubling. We all agree that we need to urgently and massively scale up all our efforts across all response areas with all partners.'

This was Tedros's second visit to the DRC since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. According to the DRC Ministry of Health, 3,874 people have been infected, and 1,751 have died, making this outbreak the second largest in history after the West African epidemic in 2014–2016.

Residents of Bunia reported a worsening situation after many healthcare workers stopped working due to lack of pay. Although some workers have started receiving payments for work performed since the start of the outbreak, they are demanding higher wages and more reliable compensation.

Strike disrupts access to healthcare

Local residents note that the strike has led to fatal consequences. Aniset Baluku, a resident of Bunia whose two brothers died of Ebola during the disruptions, called on authorities to find a quick solution to avoid similar tragedies for other families.

The strike has further weakened the healthcare system, which was already undermined by armed conflict in eastern DRC, near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Increase in international funding

The United States announced an additional $242 million for fighting Ebola, preparedness, and humanitarian aid, bringing total US support for the outbreak to over $512 million. Health experts believe that the rate of disease transmission has already exceeded the figures of previous Ebola epidemics.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. Officials believe the virus circulated in remote communities long before the official declaration of the outbreak on May 15.

'The outbreak is spreading at alarming and unprecedented rates,' warned Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Wednesday, despite expanded response efforts. MSF added that 'the response is expanding but still not reaching communities quickly enough to break chains of transmission.'

Africa CDC Director General John Kasieye stated that contact tracing is failing to identify a significant portion of new cases. On Tuesday during his visit to Bunia, he said: 'At least 60% to 70% of new cases are not coming from the list of controlled contacts.'

Healthcare workers point out that the delayed detection of infections significantly contributed to the high fatality rate of the outbreak, which stands at about 45%. Of 77 new cases registered in the last 24 hours, 44 were classified as severe. Currently, at least 717 patients remain in isolation, and 749 people have recovered.