Overview

• Australia’s regulator has cleared Wegovy and Mounjaro for weight management with GP prescribing, but access is private‑only at roughly A$395–A$460 per month.
• The RACGP’s expert group has lodged a government framework proposing PBS‑funded access for patients with clinical obesity and significant impairments to address cost barriers.
• Doctors emphasize that GLP‑1s are tools requiring multidisciplinary care, noting concerns over people obtaining the drugs via online services and highlighting known gastrointestinal effects and emerging risks including gallbladder disease and lean‑mass loss.
• In India, an ICMR senior scientist cites rapid uptake centered in private clinics, weak enforcement that could enable OTC or online misuse, and a need for price controls once patents expire in 2026.
• Globally, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk expect to introduce oral obesity drugs in the U.S. next year pending regulatory approval, with reported data showing less weight loss than injectable options and a head‑to‑head trial readout expected.