FAQ: HJI’s objection to a patent application for a key diabetes medicine

In March 2025, HJI filed a formal objection with South Africa’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) against a patent application by Eli Lilly for a type 2 diabetes drug called Tirzepatide. The objection is aimed at preventing “evergreening” — a strategy used by pharmaceutical corporations to extend their monopolies on known medicines, which keep prices high and delay the entry of affordable generic medicines into the South African market.

We have prepared an FAQ to explain the facts behind the matter, and why we filed this objection.

Download the FAQ here.