Wegovy priced at €220 monthly in Ireland

Wegovy, a weight loss drug, will cost around €220 a month for users in Ireland. This price comes as the drug is not covered under the country's Drug Payment Scheme or available for medical card patients. The drug has shown promising results, with trials indicating an average weight loss of about 15 percent when paired with a reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise. Wegovy is administered via a pen-like device that users inject weekly. Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, Wegovy contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as their diabetes medication Ozempic. Although Ozempic is approved in Ireland, neither it nor Wegovy is reimbursed for obesity treatment. This is also true for a competing drug, Mounjaro, from Eli Lilly. Patients will need to spend around €2,640 a year to access Wegovy. This cost is lower than that of Mounjaro, which has a slightly higher weight loss promise. However, Novo Nordisk claims Wegovy is the only drug proven to significantly reduce major cardiovascular risks. Camilla Sylvest, a Novo Nordisk executive, mentioned that most people outside the U.S. are expected to pay for Wegovy out of pocket. She noted that many are willing to do so due to the immediate weight loss results and improved health conditions. Novo Nordisk applied to have Wegovy covered by Ireland's health system back in early 2022, and this process is still ongoing. However, Prof. Michael Barry from the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics indicated that if the state does provide coverage, it would likely be limited to certain patients due to cost concerns. He suggested that it may not be feasible for all who could benefit to receive the drug through community schemes.