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In Brazil it will expire in July 2026. It's pretty relevant as it's kinda already announced they will put the generics on the public health care (SUS) for free.

In Brazil it will expire in July 2026. It's pretty relevant as it's kinda already announced they will put the generics on the public health care (SUS) for free... Which is big deal as an Ozempic shot costs almost the same as the minimum wage. This year they already did an analysis to include Ozempic, but it was denied, probably because of the cost difference... But they were trying on justice to extend the patent...

1oooqooq 1y ago
being free means taxpayers will pay. and being on the public system means it will be prescribed only for health risk, just like plastic surgery already is. you don't see people getting nose jobs just because.
- aardvarkr 1y ago
  Generics are so cheap and easy to make that they can reasonably justify that it will save the government money by making the population healthier. Just think about how much less heart disease and cancer and every other obesity-affected disease costs the taxpayer.
  - 1oooqooq 1y ago
    totally agree. was pointing out things left out from the previous comment which was kinda of impling gov would be paying all uses of the sliming drugs, even if on generics price. ... because those drugs make profit not because of it's health benefits.
- UltraSane 1y ago
  Why wouldn't it be prescribed to morbidly obese people?
  - matheusmoreira 1y ago
    It is prescribed to the morbidly obese. It's just that patients almost always opt for cheaper options when I inform them of the costs of the treatment. Even if our public health care system starts offering semaglutide, it is extremely likely that it will impose requirements and require "justification" for the use of the medicine. You know, the usual soulless kafkaesque bureaucracy. It can frustrate people so much they give up. I've seen it.
- vitorgrs 1y ago
  First, it seems obvious to me that they'll prescribe it to everyone who, supposedly, undergoes bariatric surgery through the SUS. Generic Ozempic is certainly cheaper than bariatric surgery. That said, I believe it will go even further. To get medication through the SUS, you only need a prescription from a doctor. Any doctor. So even if the SUS itself don't prescribe, you can just find a doctor who will do it... But, likely SUS will prescribe anyway. Rio mayor: "Rio will be a city where there will be no more chubby people; everyone will be taking Ozempic at family clinics." "Said the mayor, adding that he has already taken the medication. He claimed to have lost 30kg with the medication."
  - 1oooqooq 1y ago
    crazy politicians will be crazy politicians. sadly rio is exporting them.
  - matheusmoreira 1y ago
    > To get medication through the SUS, you only need a prescription from a doctor. Not in all cases. They can and will make the patient and multiple doctors fill out half a dozen forms to "justify" the use of an expensive medication. Probably won't happen at first, politicians need to make good on their promises after all. But it will happen. I just got done filling out the forms for a COPD medication that's much cheaper than semaglutide. Only political intervention can save it.
    - vitorgrs 1y ago
      > Not in all cases. They can and will make the patient and multiple doctors fill out half a dozen forms to "justify" the use of an expensive medication. But any doctor can do it, not just SUS doctors. You know the country we live in. Private doctors will do the prescription... Actually, to buy it you already need a prescription, and yet, even skinny healthy folks buy ozempic. And to get in the SUS, it's pretty simple here in Paraná at least (and as a SUS user). The worst that happens, it's that for expensive/controlled medicines, they centralize into a single public pharmacy in the city center, and you need to schedule a day/time, and bring the ID - don't even need to be the user, you can ask anyone you want to get it if the prescription and ID it's there. Which is why for my cheap medicine, I prefer to buy it. Not worth for me going to city center only for 30 pills that cost R$ 15.
matheusmoreira 1y ago
SUS doesn't have a good track record when it comes to offering modern drugs and treatments. It takes years if not decades for medications to be covered, even when generics are available. Patients often had to go to court with documents from their doctor in order to make things happen. I've lost count of how many patients I've helped get their treatments... And now the supreme court has closed the door on them. Still, after dapagliflozin I'm ready to believe it. There's also the fact semaglutide will straight up win votes for politicians that provide it. I expect it to mirror the evolution of dapagliflozin in SUS: it will be offered unconditionally at first, then as they start to feel the weight of the costs involved they'll start imposing conditions and forcing patients to go through endless bureaucracy to get their medication. Age requirements, comorbity requirements, obnoxious paperwork that "justifies" the need for such a drug. Oh I'll gladly fill out those forms...
- vitorgrs 1y ago
  Depends the price of the generics, of course. But I wouldn't doubt if the governament itself would manufacture it. Fiocruz (federal gov lab) already manufacture several drugs. Also, Rio mayor already said he will just give to everyone basically lol You also need to remind that on a public health care system, having less obese people means you'll spend less on health care.
chrisweekly 1y ago
"same as the minimum wage" ... an hour's wage? a week? a month? annual?
- tredre3 1y ago
  From context it was clear to me that they meant the entire income. Minimum wage in brazil is 280/month. I don't know how much of it would be taken by taxes, but even if it's 0 then ozempic in Brazil still costs almost 70% of that amount each month.
  - rapfaria 1y ago
    It’s not so straightforward, though. In the U.S., wages are usually discussed in terms of hourly pay or annual salary, whereas in Brazil, they’re typically expressed as monthly earnings.
  - chrisweekly 1y ago
    "entire income" is just as opaque. "monthly income" is what I was looking for. maybe clear to you (how?), but obviously not to everyone.
- vitorgrs 1y ago
  Yeah, sorry, it's just here we just talk about monthly wages. A month!
  - chrisweekly 1y ago
    thanks!
- lproven 1y ago
  Doesn't matter. $(recurring dose of drug) ~= $(recurring income) However much you need per unit time period, compared to how much you make in that time period. The definition is independent of time.
  - chrisweekly 1y ago

1oooqooq 1y ago

being free means taxpayers will pay. and being on the public system means it will be prescribed only for health risk, just like plastic surgery already is. you don't see people getting nose jobs just because.

aardvarkr 1y ago
Generics are so cheap and easy to make that they can reasonably justify that it will save the government money by making the population healthier. Just think about how much less heart disease and cancer and every other obesity-affected disease costs the taxpayer.
- 1oooqooq 1y ago
  totally agree. was pointing out things left out from the previous comment which was kinda of impling gov would be paying all uses of the sliming drugs, even if on generics price. ... because those drugs make profit not because of it's health benefits.
UltraSane 1y ago
Why wouldn't it be prescribed to morbidly obese people?
- matheusmoreira 1y ago
  It is prescribed to the morbidly obese. It's just that patients almost always opt for cheaper options when I inform them of the costs of the treatment. Even if our public health care system starts offering semaglutide, it is extremely likely that it will impose requirements and require "justification" for the use of the medicine. You know, the usual soulless kafkaesque bureaucracy. It can frustrate people so much they give up. I've seen it.
vitorgrs 1y ago
First, it seems obvious to me that they'll prescribe it to everyone who, supposedly, undergoes bariatric surgery through the SUS. Generic Ozempic is certainly cheaper than bariatric surgery. That said, I believe it will go even further. To get medication through the SUS, you only need a prescription from a doctor. Any doctor. So even if the SUS itself don't prescribe, you can just find a doctor who will do it... But, likely SUS will prescribe anyway. Rio mayor: "Rio will be a city where there will be no more chubby people; everyone will be taking Ozempic at family clinics." "Said the mayor, adding that he has already taken the medication. He claimed to have lost 30kg with the medication."
- 1oooqooq 1y ago
  crazy politicians will be crazy politicians. sadly rio is exporting them.
- matheusmoreira 1y ago
  > To get medication through the SUS, you only need a prescription from a doctor. Not in all cases. They can and will make the patient and multiple doctors fill out half a dozen forms to "justify" the use of an expensive medication. Probably won't happen at first, politicians need to make good on their promises after all. But it will happen. I just got done filling out the forms for a COPD medication that's much cheaper than semaglutide. Only political intervention can save it.
  - vitorgrs 1y ago
    > Not in all cases. They can and will make the patient and multiple doctors fill out half a dozen forms to "justify" the use of an expensive medication. But any doctor can do it, not just SUS doctors. You know the country we live in. Private doctors will do the prescription... Actually, to buy it you already need a prescription, and yet, even skinny healthy folks buy ozempic. And to get in the SUS, it's pretty simple here in Paraná at least (and as a SUS user). The worst that happens, it's that for expensive/controlled medicines, they centralize into a single public pharmacy in the city center, and you need to schedule a day/time, and bring the ID - don't even need to be the user, you can ask anyone you want to get it if the prescription and ID it's there. Which is why for my cheap medicine, I prefer to buy it. Not worth for me going to city center only for 30 pills that cost R$ 15.

matheusmoreira 1y ago

SUS doesn't have a good track record when it comes to offering modern drugs and treatments. It takes years if not decades for medications to be covered, even when generics are available. Patients often had to go to court with documents from their doctor in order to make things happen. I've lost count of how many patients I've helped get their treatments... And now the supreme court has closed the door on them. Still, after dapagliflozin I'm ready to believe it. There's also the fact semaglutide will straight up win votes for politicians that provide it. I expect it to mirror the evolution of dapagliflozin in SUS: it will be offered unconditionally at first, then as they start to feel the weight of the costs involved they'll start imposing conditions and forcing patients to go through endless bureaucracy to get their medication. Age requirements, comorbity requirements, obnoxious paperwork that "justifies" the need for such a drug. Oh I'll gladly fill out those forms...

vitorgrs 1y ago
Depends the price of the generics, of course. But I wouldn't doubt if the governament itself would manufacture it. Fiocruz (federal gov lab) already manufacture several drugs. Also, Rio mayor already said he will just give to everyone basically lol You also need to remind that on a public health care system, having less obese people means you'll spend less on health care.

chrisweekly 1y ago

"same as the minimum wage" ... an hour's wage? a week? a month? annual?

tredre3 1y ago
From context it was clear to me that they meant the entire income. Minimum wage in brazil is 280/month. I don't know how much of it would be taken by taxes, but even if it's 0 then ozempic in Brazil still costs almost 70% of that amount each month.
- rapfaria 1y ago
  It’s not so straightforward, though. In the U.S., wages are usually discussed in terms of hourly pay or annual salary, whereas in Brazil, they’re typically expressed as monthly earnings.
- chrisweekly 1y ago
  "entire income" is just as opaque. "monthly income" is what I was looking for. maybe clear to you (how?), but obviously not to everyone.
vitorgrs 1y ago
Yeah, sorry, it's just here we just talk about monthly wages. A month!
- chrisweekly 1y ago
  thanks!
lproven 1y ago
Doesn't matter. $(recurring dose of drug) ~= $(recurring income) However much you need per unit time period, compared to how much you make in that time period. The definition is independent of time.
- chrisweekly 1y ago