{
  "id": 10609501,
  "title": "South Africans can now buy weight-loss drugs and ‘pay later’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/south-africans-can-now-buy-weight-loss-drugs-and-pay-later",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T04:54:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/business/south-africans-can-now-buy-weight-loss-drugs-and-pay-later/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services are now available for weight-loss medications known as GLP-1 medicines. Obiflex, a health management programme, provides virtual doctor consultations that can prescribe these drugs. Patients can then split the cost of their monthly treatment into smaller, manageable instalments. However, late payments could incur hefty penalties. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and the South African Pharmacy Council recently raided a compounding pharmacy suspected of producing unregistered GLP-1 drugs. Obiflex's co-founder and CEO, Shaun Barns, explained that affordability pushed many patients towards illicit or unregistered alternatives. Now, with regulated access, demand for these medications should decrease. Obiflex's programme combines affordable GLP-1 treatment with virtual coaching to address the root causes of weight gain, aiming for at least a 10% body weight reduction within six months. This approach is supported by international research, which suggests that medication combined with lifestyle coaching yields better long-term weight loss results than medication alone. The cost of GLP-1 drugs could decrease in the future as more generic variants become available. BNPL services typically allow consumers to pay in two-week or monthly installments, with merchants covering the cost of credit. In February 2027, credit bureaus will begin reporting BNPL transactions to credit scores, potentially helping individuals build credit while also providing other lenders with insight into consumers' debt levels.",
  "summary": "High costs are reportedly driving some patients towards cheaper, illicit or unregistered alternatives.",
  "key_points": [
    "South Africans can now purchase GLP-1 weight-loss drugs with BNPL services.",
    "Virtual doctor consultations prescribe medications through Obiflex program.",
    "Late payments for treatments may result in penalties."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Offering buy now, pay later services for weight-loss medications increases accessibility for South Africans, potentially reducing demand for illicit alternatives, while also allowing consumers to build credit.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "South Africans are among the world's most financially stressed",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/south-africans-are-among-the-worlds-most-financially-stressed",
        "published": "2026-09-29T04:46:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}