GLP-1 Black Market in The Bahamas: Ozempic, Mounjaro and NHI Coverage

Demand for Ozempic and Mounjaro outpaces regulated supply

In September 2026 The Tribune reported that "desperation" is driving black-market demand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in The Bahamas¹. Dr Kristine Parker-Curling, a board-certified obesity specialist described as the only full-time endocrinologist working in the country, said demand for drugs such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is "significantly and steadily increasing," and that buying from unregulated sources "speaks to a degree of desperation and belief that the benefit outweighs the risks"¹. Earlier in 2026 a Tribune investigation into the island's parallel drug trade listed weight-loss drugs alongside painkillers and sedatives among the products in demand outside pharmacies³.

Her concern is the supply chain itself: with unregulated products, the "chain of possession and even the chain of appropriate storage is not certain"¹.

The obesity burden behind the demand

The Tribune cited a 2025 Pan American Health Organization study placing The Bahamas first in the Americas for adult obesity prevalence, with more than 70 % of adults overweight or obese and about 40 % diagnosed with obesity¹. A sports-medicine physician writing in the same paper noted that the World Health Organisation's updated statistics named The Bahamas as the country with the highest obesity rate in the Americas¹³. Our News, citing PAHO, put the share of Bahamian adults who are overweight or obese at nearly 76 %². The figures vary by source and metric, but every one of them is high.

Price, insurance and the NHI pledge

Dr Parker-Curling put the monthly cost at $250 to more than $1,500, depending on dose and other factors. GLP-1 drugs are not covered by the national prescription drug plan, and private insurers cover some of them only for select patients with type 2 diabetes under strict criteria¹. Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government intends to expand National Health Insurance to cover GLP-1 medications for obesity and type 2 diabetes; he acknowledged the cost to the public system but said the long-term benefits would make it worthwhile¹. No start date or eligibility rules were reported¹.

The pledge sits on top of a planned expansion of free chronic-disease medicines from just over 44,000 Bahamians on the existing plan to more than 160,000 Bahamians under NHI with chronic conditions including hypertension, diabetes and heart disease¹². The World Health Organization's first GLP-1 guideline, issued in December 2025, conditionally recommends liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide for adults with obesity and projects that these drugs will reach "fewer than 10% of those who could benefit by 2030"⁷.

What the black market adds to the risk

In February 2026 PAHO issued an epidemiological alert on misuse of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the Americas⁵. Its March follow-up warned that rising demand may push sales into "unofficial channels, including the internet and social media," where products may be falsified, unauthorised or substandard, with wrong doses, different active ingredients or undeclared substances⁶. PAHO listed "acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and intestinal obstruction" among the less common but potentially serious adverse effects⁶. Dr Parker-Curling listed common side effects including severe constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, and warned that inappropriate dose escalation and poor follow-up after dispensing add risk¹.

Bahamian law already limits who may dispense: under the Pharmacy Act, 2009 (Chapter 227), drugs may only be dispensed on registered pharmacy premises by a registered pharmacist, pharmacy technician or supervised pharmacy intern (section 24), and internet pharmacy is banned "in any form" (section 25(3))⁴. But The Bahamas has no national drug registration system, which leaves regulators with limited tools against imports from unauthorised sources³.

What the evidence shows under supervision

The trial data explain the demand. In STEP 1, adults with obesity on weekly semaglutide lost a mean 14.9 % of body weight at 68 weeks versus 2.4 % with placebo⁹. In SURMOUNT-1, tirzepatide produced mean losses of 15.0 % to 20.9 % at 72 weeks across doses, versus 3.1 % with placebo¹⁰. In SELECT, 17,604 adults with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity but no diabetes had a 20 % lower risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke with semaglutide (hazard ratio 0.80)⁸. But stopping matters: one year after semaglutide was withdrawn in the STEP 1 extension, participants regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost¹¹. Dr Keisha Smith of Paradise Healthcare Services told Our News the drugs are not for everybody and that patients with underlying thyroid issues need careful evaluation².