Australia could soon have a cheaper, needle-free alternative to Ozempic, with a weight-loss pill tipped for approval by Christmas in shake-up for obesity treatment.
The medication contains the same active ingredient as the injectable version but comes in tablet form, removing the need for weekly injections while potentially costing consumers around the same as a daily cup of coffee.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ozempic-style weight loss pill coming to Australia
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
The drug is currently under assessment by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, with the earliest possible approval expected by Christmas 2026, although it may not arrive until mid-2027.
The tablets are already available in the UK, where they cost about $5.80 a day.
Speaking on Sunrise on Monday, Dr Tushar Yadav, a GP and medical director at MOSH, said Australian pricing will likely be similar, estimating the pills could be about 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than current injectable treatments.
One of the biggest advantages of the new medication is that it gives patients the option to avoid injections, which Dr Yadav said remain a significant barrier for many people.
“The biggest drawback with the current medications is they’re effective; they do their job, but it’s a needle, so people don’t want to take it,” he said.
The tablet is also expected to match the effectiveness of injectable medications despite being swallowed rather than injected.
Manufacturers have increased the dosage to account for the medication passing through the digestive system before entering the bloodstream, with early results suggesting it could even deliver slightly better outcomes than injectable products.
The convenience of a daily tablet has already proved popular overseas. In the UK, eight in 10 people buying the pill had not previously been using injectable weight loss medications.
More than seven million people in the UK are predicted to be using the medication by the end of the year.
Dr Yadav said Australia was likely to embrace the medication just as strongly as the UK because of the country’s high rates of obesity.
“Two out of three adult Australians are obese or overweight, so the reception should be exactly the same if not more,” he said.
