Mounjaro Prescribing Rules: Namibia Issues a Warning

Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services has issued a public health warning about weight-loss and metabolic medicines, and it named Ozempic and Mounjaro. The ministry wants health workers to prescribe these drugs responsibly and to monitor the patients who use them closely. The warning comes as public interest in these medicines, and demand for them, grows in Namibia. In short, the message is that these are serious prescription medicines and should be used under proper medical care.

What Namibia's health ministry said

Executive director Penda Ithindi gave the message on behalf of Health Minister Esperance Luvindao. He spoke at the opening of the 2026 Namibia Health Exhibition in Windhoek.

According to the report, the ministry focused on two things:

• Responsible prescribing: doctors and other prescribers should think carefully about who gets these medicines.
• Close monitoring: patients who use them should be checked properly and followed up over time.

The report says the ministry is worried that the drugs may be misused or used in the wrong way, especially because they have become so popular for weight loss. It also says health workers are now expected to review how they work. The report does not mention any new laws, fines or specific limits.

Why regulators are paying attention

Namibia is not the only place where these medicines have caused concern.

A 2023 study of posts on Reddit, YouTube and TikTok found that people on social media had started promoting semaglutide as a weight-loss treatment. The researchers said the extra demand helped cause a worldwide shortage of the drug and led some people to use semaglutide without a prescription.

A 2025 paper in the journal Bioethics argued that, with strong regulation in place, the benefits of these medicines are likely to outweigh the risks. It also listed concerns, including unknown long-term side effects and a widening gap between rich and poor. It said that ongoing monitoring of their effects on individuals and society is essential.

What the Mounjaro label warns about

Part of responsible prescribing is checking whether a medicine suits a particular person. The official US prescribing information for Mounjaro, which is the medicine's label in the United States, lists several warnings. They include:

• A boxed warning, the most serious kind of label warning, about thyroid tumours. Tirzepatide caused thyroid C-cell tumours in rats, and it is unknown whether it does the same in humans.
• It should not be used by people with a personal or family history of a thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma, or of a condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
• Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder problems, and kidney injury linked to dehydration.
• A higher risk of low blood sugar when it is used with insulin or certain other diabetes medicines.
• Based on animal studies, it may harm an unborn baby.
• A Mounjaro KwikPen should never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed.

The label says the most common side effects are nausea, diarrhoea, reduced appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain. That is why regular check-ups with a doctor matter.

Prescribing rules differ from country to country

Rules about who may get these medicines vary a lot. In the UK, tirzepatide is made by Eli Lilly and sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and weight loss. The UK medicines regulator approved it in January 2024. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which advises the UK health service, later recommended it for some patients with obesity and related conditions. This is according to a 2025 feature in The BMJ comparing Ozempic and Mounjaro.

For semaglutide used for weight management, NICE set strict limits. It recommends the medicine only for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more, or 30 or more with a related health condition. Treatment lasts no more than two years, and it is mostly prescribed by weight management specialists. These details come from a 2024 commentary in Nature Medicine on unequal access to GLP-1 medicines. The authors argue that strict rules, high prices and bias can keep these medicines from people who might benefit.

What it means for people in South Africa

Namibia's warning is a useful reminder for anyone in South Africa who is using these medicines or thinking about them.

In South Africa, Ozempic is a prescription medicine registered for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy (also semaglutide) and Mounjaro are registered for weight management. Extensior and Semagard are lower-cost semaglutide pens for type 2 diabetes. All of them need a prescription.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) registers medicines here. It warns against buying unregistered weight-loss injections online. If someone offers you one of these medicines without a prescription, treat it as a warning sign.

Cost matters too. Each medicine has a single exit price (SEP), which is the legal price set in South Africa. Pharmacies may add a dispensing fee, which is capped by law. You can compare registered pharmacies and the highest legal Ozempic price before you fill a prescription. If you hope your medical aid will help, read our piece on how weight-loss drug claims are changing medical aid.

Results and side effects differ from person to person. Whether one of these medicines is right for you is a decision for you and your doctor. Our medical disclaimer explains why nothing on this site replaces personal medical advice.