Kenya reviews market entry for Eli Lilly's Mounjaro in diabetes
核心洞察
Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board (搜索) received an application to register Eli Lilly's Mounjaro on May 7, 2026, and it is at the screening stage.
Aspen Pharmacare submitted the filing under an agreement with Eli Lilly to distribute and promote the tirzepatide drug across sub-Saharan Africa.
Aspen has also filed in Nigeria and expects Mounjaro sales in Africa to exceed $124 million in the financial year ending June 2027.
Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board (搜索) (PPB) has started reviewing an application to register Mounjaro, the once-weekly injectable tirzepatide medicine, for use in the country. PPB chief executive Ahmed Mohamed said the application was received on May 7, 2026 and is at the screening stage, the first step in the regulatory review process. The review will assess whether the product meets Kenya's requirements for quality, safety and efficacy; the PPB said the pending application does not amount to approval for routine marketing.
The filing was submitted by South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare, which has an agreement with US manufacturer Eli Lilly to distribute and promote Mounjaro across sub-Saharan Africa. Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, a prescription injectable that acts on the GIP and GLP-1 hormone pathways to regulate blood sugar and appetite. If approved, it would be prescribed alongside diet and exercise for adults, adolescents and children aged 10 years and above with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus (搜索).
Kenya already has approved semaglutide products including Ozempic and Wegovy, and Getz Pharma (搜索) has introduced Zepad (搜索), a tirzepatide-based medicine containing the same active ingredient as Mounjaro. Ahmed said the rising number of applications for newer diabetes and obesity medicines expands therapeutic options but adds regulatory demands, including more inspections over counterfeit medicines and illegal imports and risks from off-label use. Aspen chief executive Stephen Saad told investors the company has filed in Kenya and Nigeria, which it expects to contribute to earnings in the financial year ending June 2027, with African Mounjaro sales projected to exceed $124 million.