Anti-obesity drug Wegovy: latest on availability and reimbursement in France
The drug has been available on prescription since October 2024
Health authorities in France previously recommended the drug to be made available for reimbursement
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Up to 3,000 patients on a course of the anti-obesity drug Wegovy will continue to receive treatment free of charge until (latest) the end of the year, the laboratory that produces the drug and the Ministry of Health have confirmed.
These patients were amongst those that took part in early trials for the drug from 2022 onwards before it became more widely available on the French market towards the end of 2024.
Continued free treatment for the affected patients will last “until December 2025 at the latest… on a continuity of treatment basis,” producer Novo Nordisk said (quoted in Le Figaro).
The drug is available in France via prescription however the price is not fixed and can vary between some €270 and €360 per month according to French media outlet TF1.
Read more: Weight loss drug Wegovy to be sold on prescription in France
Wider reimbursement planned
Although it is not currently reimbursed by French state health insurance the French Health Ministry is in negotiation to add the drug to a list of those it reimburses.
“Following the scientific re-evaluation of [Wegovy] by the Haute Autorité de sante (HAS) in December 2024, the laboratory now wishes to open new pricing negotiations… with the aim of registering the drug for reimbursement,” the Ministry said in a press release.
In December, HAS issued a report backing the drug for reimbursement by the government in situations where ‘markedly obese’ adults had failed to lose weight via other methods.
It is the only weight-loss drug of its kind that HAS recommended for partial reimbursement, as there is also evidence it contains a secondary positive cardiovascular effect in patients undergoing a course of treatment.
Read more: Weight loss drug Wegovy may soon be reimbursed in France
If approved for reimbursement, the drug is expected to be partially reimbursable by state insurance under Assurance Maladie, with the remaining balance either paid by the patient or being reimbursed by a top-up mutuelle (if covered by the insurer).
