Obiflex, a doctor-led health management programme, has become one of the first companies in South Africa to offer a buy-now-pay-later payment structure for prescription medicine, launching monthly instalment plans for GLP-1 weight-loss treatment in a category estimated at R3 billion a year.
The move follows recent regulatory and legal action against pharmacies that illegally compounded GLP-1 medicines, which supplied 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.
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, with no new app required.
“Affordability pushed so many patients toward cheaper, illicit or unregistered alternatives,” says Shaun Barns, co-founder and CEO of Obiflex.
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“Now that route has been shut down by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), so unless there’s legitimate, affordable access, that demand doesn’t disappear — it risks people seeking other unregulated or illicit options.”
Obiflex has partnered with a pioneer of weight-loss medication 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.
The programme pairs low-dose GLP-1 treatment with structured coaching, targeting up to 10% body weight loss over six months, reflecting a growing body of international research showing that combining medication with lifestyle support improves the likelihood of maintaining weight loss over the longer term, compared to medication alone. Those who need more support can continue further rounds with Obiflex.
“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.”
