Costly Wegovy highlights healthcare gap in obesity battle - Editorial

Injection pens for the weight-loss treatment Wegovy. Photo / Getty Images

Editorial

• Medsafe’s approval of weight-loss drug Wegovy highlights inequity in the fight against obesity.
• Wegovy costs up to $600 a month, making it inaccessible to many in need.
• Equitable access and comprehensive health initiatives are essential to address the obesity crisis effectively.

The recent approval of weight-loss drug Wegovy in New Zealand has been hyped as a breakthrough in the country’s fight against obesity but instead highlights a troubling inequity.

It is no secret the country has locked horns with an obesity crisis. One in three Kiwis over the age of 15 are considered obese, as is one in 10 children.

The dire stats mean the country has the third highest adult obesity rate in the OECD - a podium no nation wants to stand on.

And the health consequences are severe: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and higher risks of certain cancers.

Obesity-related health conditions are said to cost the country about $2 billion annually, or about 8% of total healthcare spending.

So Medsafe’s approval of Wegovy in March seemed like a saving grace.

The drug - or Ozempic as it is known to the stars - was shown in clinical results to reduce up to 15% of a user’s body weight when combined with lifestyle changes. However, warnings of its side-effects also followed.

While Wegovy’s arrival marked a milestone in the obesity battle, its price tag laid bare a grim gap in New Zealand’s healthcare.

The drug, at up to $600 a month, simply put is a privilege. Only those with pockets deep enough can afford it given it is unfunded by Pharmac.

New Zealand is rolling out the red carpet for a weight-loss drug those most in need of it cannot access.

Research has shown obesity is more prevalent in New Zealand’s economically deprived communities.

People living in the most deprived neighbourhoods were found by the New Zealand Health Survey to have higher rates of obesity compared to wealthier areas. Counties and Northland lead the way with some of the highest adult obesity rates in the country.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour framed Wegovy in a way so Kiwis could see the wider benefits.

He used it as an example of how investing in pharmaceuticals could benefit society on the whole.

He emphasised Wegovy’s ability to help prevent hospital admissions and save the nation’s purse billions by lessening the strain on the health system.

The problem is the drug is being viewed as a silver bullet when it is merely another, albeit powerful, tool.

Equitable access needs to be at the heart of New Zealand’s solution to its obesity crisis. Attention needs to stay on the combination of policy initiatives, community partnerships and health programmes at government and grassroots level that help support low-income New Zealanders affected by obesity.

It is about ensuring public health opportunities do not become private luxury.

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