The move follows recent regulatory and legal action against pharmacies that illegally compounded GLP-1 medicines, which were supplied to as many as 300,000 South Africans at a lower cost than registered alternatives.
With that route now closed, affected patients face a choice between unregulated, potentially unsafe sources or registered treatment that costs between R3,000 and R6,000 a month, excluding consultations — a price that puts it out of reach for many, given that medical aid schemes typically cover only around 50% of costs, and only for members with a diabetes diagnosis.
Predictable-payment alternative
Obiflex is a doctor-led health management programme that has developed a predictable-payment alternative to close that gap.
Obiflex’s model spreads that cost over fixed monthly instalments: a three-month programme costs R1,499 a month over five payments, and a six-month programme R1,999 a month over nine payments.
Both include a virtual doctor consultation, virtual health coaching, digital health tracking tools, weekly wellness advice and door-to-door delivery — accessed entirely through WhatsApp or the web.
“Affordability pushed so many patients toward cheaper, unregistered compounded alternatives,” says Shaun Barns, co-founder and CEO of Obiflex.
“Now the compounding route has been shut down by Sahpra and SAPC, so unless there’s legitimate, affordable access, that demand doesn’t disappear; it risks people seeking other unregulated or illicit options.”
Proper medical support
In a statement, Obiflex said it has partnered with a weight-loss medication pioneer and one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, and is backed by investment firm Grovest.
Barns co-founded it with Dr Riaz Motara, Jeff Miller, and Moshe Unterslak.
Motara, an expert in the endocrinology and cardiology of weight management, has led the training of the virtual doctor network to address the underlying causes of unhealthy weight change, rather than treating GLP-1 prescribing as a standalone transaction.
“We didn’t want to just make the medicine more affordable,” adds Barns. “We want to offer proper medical support, coaching and a way to pay for GLP-1s.”
The programme pairs low-dose GLP-1 treatment with structured health coaching, reflecting international research showing that combining medication with lifestyle support improves the likelihood of maintaining weight loss over the longer term, compared with medication alone.
Says Barns, “There are hundreds of thousands of South Africans who want to better manage their weight, and many of them have been doing so through unregulated channels.”
“Obiflex believes that if someone has already chosen to make health changes, we should make sure there’s an affordable, safe, legitimate approach with medical oversight.”
