HSE considering weight-loss drugs for reimbursement process

A number of applications have been made to the HSE to cover several weight-loss drugs, known as GLP-1s.

The HSE Drugs Group met to consider the drug Mounjaro, but no recommendation has been yet made to the HSE Senior Leadership Team.

The drug, officially nammed Tirzepatide, is made by Ely Lily and would cost the state of about €2-€3 billion a year, if it was made available on the public system after a price offer from the manufacturer.

Currently, around 45,000 people are prescribed Ozempic for free on the Long-Term Ill­ness Scheme, with a further 8,000 medical card holders also on the drug.

Currently only those being treated for Type 2 diabetes are eligible, but the HSE is considering widening the eligibility criteria. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Irish College of GPs Clinical Lead for Obesity Dr Michael Crotty said there remains a “significant cost” to providing patients with medication to treat obesity. 

“The medications are licensed for a body mass index greater than 30 or greater than 27 with a weight-related complication,” he said. 

“But really under those criteria, there would be potentially a very large number of people who would be eligible for access to treatment.

“In reality, in other countries, they've taken a phased approach to this, looking at people with more severe obesity and established complications rather than universal reimbursement for everybody for whom the medication's licensed.” 

A cost-benefit assessment on another weight loss drug Wegovy is also on the cards.