Source: Radio New Zealand
Pharmac has added Wegovy to its list of medicines suitable for future funding. Jens Kalaene / AFP
A paediatrican who treats obese teens expects funding to come swiftly for weight loss drug Wegovy.
Pharmac has added the drug to its list of medicines suitable for future funding.
In a decision released on Thursday, the drug-funding agency confirmed it had added Semaglutide – brand name Wegovy – to its list of ‘Options For Investment’, which includes all the medications that Pharmac would fund, if the budget allowed.
Currently unfunded, Wegovy would cost someone about $400 a month.
The order of Pharmac’s list is not made public for commercial reasons, but if chosen, the drug would be available to people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 50 and also to those with a BMI of more than 35 with at least two co-morbidities.
Auckland University paediatric endocrinology professor Wayne Cutfield said questions remained over final eligibility criteria, whether the drug would be fully funded or subsidised, and – crucially – when, but he did not expect to wait long.
Auckland University paediatric endocrinology professor Wayne Cutfield. Liggins Institute
“This isn’t the only drug in their cross-hairs that they [Pharmac] are considering,” he said. “Yes, it’s big and, yes, it’s important, but I don’t know if it will be weeks or months.
“I have no idea, but it’s not going to be years.”
Cutfield said the cost of the drug was prohibitive for many and, if approved as recommended, a huge number of New Zealanders – including teens – would benefit.
“They use the term ‘people’, which doesn’t exclude teenagers, because Wegovy in New Zealand [is] licensed for those over the age of 12. In Australia, it is a far more exclusive recommendation that has been imposed.”
Weight loss specialist Gerard McQuinlan said the addition of Wegovy to Pharmac’s list was significant and the recommended eligibility criteria made sense.
He said comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes, were all improved by weight loss and funded Wegovy could potentially deliver savings to the healthcare system.
McQuinlan hoped approval would come before 2030 and expected Wegovy to be fully funded, with people paying no more than the standard $5 prescription fee.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand