Clinicians Warn of Growing Metabolic Disease Burden as Kenya Unveils New Obesity, Diabetes Treatment

More than half of Kenyans living with metabolic disease do not know they have the disease, and the national caseload is expected to double by 2050, a gap that clinicians meeting in Nairobi on Saturday described as the central challenge in the country’s response to metabolic disease.

The discussion took place at Convergence: The Metabolic Continuum, Refined by Design, a national clinical forum convened by Getz Pharma in collaboration with the Kenya Association of Physicians (KAP) and the Hospital Pharmacists Association of Kenya (HOPAK). At the forum, Getz Pharma announced the introduction in Kenya of their Tirzepatide, Zepad, a prescription-only medicine for use in the management of obesity, type 2 diabetes and their related conditions.

The forum drew about 200 healthcare professionals from referral centres, private hospitals, and private practices across the country who noted that most patients enter the health system only after cardiovascular, kidney, liver, or visual complications have developed. By this point, treatments are more complex and costlier.

Muhammad Ashad, Country Manager, Kenya, Getz Pharma, said the company’s priority was supporting the education of healthcare professionals so that obesity and other related metabolic diseases are identified and managed earlier.

“There is a significant access gap to diagnosis and treatment. Our role Is to put the current science in front of the diagnosing physicians and keep supporting them as they look at metabolic disease as multi-faceted and intertwined. This makes treatment more effective for patients all over. If earlier intervention is what changes outcomes, then knowledge is the first intervention,” said Mr Ashad.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) puts the number of Kenyans living with diabetes at just over 813,000 in 2024, with 53.6% of cases undiagnosed. Nearly one in three Kenyan adults is overweight or living with obesity. National surveys show raised blood pressure in 25.1% of men and 22.6% of women.

Speaking at the event, Dr Erick Njenga, President of the Kenya Association of Physicians, said, “Although obesity is recognised internationally as a chronic relapsing disease driven by biological, hormonal, genetic, and metabolic factors, it continues to be treated in public discussion as lifestyle failure. We continue to treat obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease as separate referrals when in our patients they are stages of one metabolic process. A patient should not have to develop heart failure before the system takes their weight seriously.”

Prof Abbas Raza, the immediate past President of the International Society of Endocrinology, who delivered the keynote at the event, noted: “Kenya, and the whole world, is at a point where earlier intervention can still change the trajectory of chronic disease for a generation of patients. The health system needs to adapt and grow with the increasing evidence of holistic management resulting in better outcomes for patients over the long term.”

Tirzepatide acts on the GIP and GLP-1 receptor pathways offering a dual-action approach to blood sugar control and weight management. This innovation is now within reach for patients across Kenya, marking a significant step forward in the country’s fight against diabetes and obesity.

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