Weight loss drug Wegovy may soon be reimbursed in France
Subject to Health Ministry approval the drug could be reimbursed under certain conditions
The HAS has approved Wegovy for state reimbursement, with the decision now in the hands of the Health Ministry
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The weight loss drug Wegovy could soon be reimbursed by the state in France under certain conditions, after receiving approval from La Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) this week.
The drug, a GLP-1 agonist manufactured and sold by Danish lab Novo Nordisk, has been available in France - under conditions - since October but has not been approved for state reimbursement until now.
The HAS approved the drug in December 2022 for adults aged under 65, subject to the provision of new data and more information. The most recent approval does not have an age condition.
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Drug conditions
The authority still issued its approval under certain other - non-age related - conditions, including:
Patients with obesity considered “dangerous”, with a body mass index of over 35 for whom prescribed diets have not worked.
The drug must be taken in conjunction with a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
It must only be prescribed on the advice of an obesity specialist.
French health system l’Assurance maladie estimates that between 1 million and 2.1 million people in France could be eligible.
Final decision
The final decision on whether to approve reimbursement of the drug rests with the Ministry of Health, which will take the HAS’s approval on board. This could be subject to delay, given the current government instability, Prime Minister Michel Barnier having lost a vote of no confidence in parliament on December 4.
Read also: French Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign today after no-confidence vote passes
Patients who have already been granted access to the drug in hospital under an exemption will continue to be reimbursed until the end of January 2025.
Without reimbursement the drug is expensive. Patients receiving it under prescription from private specialists since September-October have had to pay between €200-300 per month for it.
Wegovy effects
Wegovy is primarily intended for weight loss and is a stronger version of other types of GLP-1 agonist, including Mounjaro and Ozempic. These drugs, from the same family, were originally created as a treatment for diabetes.
Wegovy is available in injectable doses of 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg in pre-filled injection pens. Patients begin on the lowest dose (to limit side effects) and slowly increase the amount until an optimal weight loss rate is achieved.
On average patients lose around 15% of their initial weight after a year of treatment. The drug primarily acts as an appetite suppressant and can make food take longer to travel down the digestive tract, keeping patients fuller for longer. Studies have also shown that Wegovy can have a protective cardiovascular effect.
However, there is a risk of weight regain if treatment is stopped.
Side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, and even vomiting and are relatively common.
“Beyond two years of treatment, data on efficacy and safety are limited,” the HAS said, stating that it recommended “a systematic reassessment of the continuation of treatment beyond this period”.
Mounjaro is also available in France as a weight loss drug, but without reimbursement. The HAS says there is not enough “comparative data” to ‘rank’ the effectiveness of the drugs, but it has said that Wegovy is the only one to have “demonstrated a cardiovascular benefit”.
