Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,12 Dec 2025,22 mins

Are weight-loss drugs a magic bullet?

Focus on Africa

Available for over a year

Weight-loss injections have become a major talking point, from Hollywood celebrities to TikTok influencers. Originally developed to treat diabetes, these medications were later found to help people shed a lot of weight - a discovery that has rapidly expanded their global use. The World Health Organization has now released its first-ever guidance on prescribing them for obesity. South Africa recently became the first country in Africa to formally approve one version of these drugs for weight loss, and access is slowly spreading across the continent. We follow a Kenyan woman’s experience using the injections and we hear from a South African doctor who explains how they work - and what the latest medical research reveals so far.

Programme Website
More episodes