Malta’s Obesity Battle Gets WHO Boost: Cheap Weight-Loss Drug Generics Could Hit Local Pharmacies by 2026

WHO backs weight-loss drugs, urges cheap generics – what it means for Malta’s battle against the bulge

By Sarah Micallef, Hot Malta Health Correspondent

Valletta – When the World Health Organization threw its weight—pun intended—behind a new set of anti-obesity medications last week and simultaneously urged manufacturers to “make generics affordable,” Maltese ears pricked up. In a country where pastizzi are currency and festa weekends revolve around imqaret and beer, the announcement could mark the moment our national waistline finally starts to shrink.

The drugs in question—semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic) and the newer tirzepatide—mimic hormones that tell the brain “I’m full.” Trials show users shedding up to 15 % of body weight in a year, results that dwarf traditional diet-and-exercise regimes. Until now, monthly injections have cost €300-€400 privately, putting them out of reach for most Maltese families. The WHO’s call for “global generic licensing” raises the prospect of €30 pens in local pharmacies within three years.

From the limestone balconies of Sliema to the village band clubs of Żabbar, reactions are mixed. “We’re always ten years behind the rest of Europe on health policy,” sighs Maria Bezzina, 42, a Mellieħa mother who has struggled with weight since her second child. “If generics arrive here at a decent price, it would be life-changing.” Her GP, Dr. Karl Borg, is more cautious: “These drugs aren’t magic; they work best alongside Mediterranean diet patterns we already preach. But they can break the plateau many patients hit after losing the first five kilos.”

Malta’s numbers are stark. Eurostat places us at the very top of the EU obesity chart, with 29 % of adults clinically obese. That figure climbs to 36 % among women over 45. The burden on Mater Dei’s endocrinology and bariatric surgery units has grown 40 % in five years. Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela welcomed the WHO statement, telling HOT Malta: “We are exploring bulk procurement through the European Commission and discussing local production with generics firms to bring prices down.” Sources close to the ministry say negotiations with two Indian manufacturers have already begun.

Culturally, food is love in Malta. Sunday lunch without roast potatoes and qagħaq tal-ħmira is practically treason. Yet the pandemic shifted habits: takeaway apps boomed, gyms closed, and waistlines expanded. “We laughed on Facebook about gaining the ‘Covid-19 kilos,’ but the joke stuck,” says Etienne Micallef, owner of FitBox gym in Gżira. “Now clients ask if I can prescribe these injections. I tell them to speak to a doctor, but the demand is real.”

Generic access could also ease the strain on national insurance. A single bariatric sleeve operation costs the state roughly €8,000; a year of generic semaglutide might cost €400. “Multiply that across thousands of patients and you’re talking millions freed up for cancer care or mental-health services,” notes economist Dr. Stephanie Xerri. She warns, however, that Malta’s small market size means companies may delay launching here unless government guarantees minimum orders.

There is a generational divide. Older Maltese worry the drugs will simply excuse excess. “My nanna says we just need to walk more and eat less rabbit,” laughs 24-year-old student Luke Borg. “But my friends see these injections like the contraceptive pill—another tool to control our bodies in a world that makes healthy choices hard.”

Pharmacist Jeanette Camilleri, who runs a busy outlet in Birkirkara, predicts the first generics could arrive “within 18–24 months” if Indian or Egyptian firms secure EU-GMP certification. “I already field five calls a week about Wegovy. The moment a €30 version lands, demand will skyrocket.” She plans evening info sessions to counter social-media misinformation—one viral TikTok claims the drug lets you “eat ftira and still lose weight.”

Ultimately, the WHO’s green light offers Malta a rare chance to leapfrog the usual waiting game. With political will, local manufacturing partnerships, and strong dietetic support, the island could turn its obesity crisis into a public-health success story. As the sun sets over the Grand Harbour, families still queue for gelato—but tomorrow, some may also queue for a small injection that could add years to their lives. In the words of Dr. Borg: “Pastizzi won’t disappear. We just might finally enjoy them without guilt.”