by Since the beginning of March, Swiss health insurance companies have been covering the cost of Wegovy, a weight loss product, reported SRF. © Oleschwander | Dreamstime.comPreviously, Ozempic, a drug also used by diabetics, was being prescribed for weight loss. Going forward, it is expected that the drugs Wegovy and Saxenda will be prescribed for weight loss instead of Ozempic. This should relieve drug shortages for diabetics – people seeking Ozempic for weight loss have made it difficult for diabetics to obtain the drug. The large number of people in Switzerland who are severely overweight could lead to a substantial increase the cost of healthcare as these drugs are rolled out. According to Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 11% to 13% of adults in Switzerland
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Since the beginning of March, Swiss health insurance companies have been covering the cost of Wegovy, a weight loss product, reported SRF.
Previously, Ozempic, a drug also used by diabetics, was being prescribed for weight loss. Going forward, it is expected that the drugs Wegovy and Saxenda will be prescribed for weight loss instead of Ozempic. This should relieve drug shortages for diabetics – people seeking Ozempic for weight loss have made it difficult for diabetics to obtain the drug.
The large number of people in Switzerland who are severely overweight could lead to a substantial increase the cost of healthcare as these drugs are rolled out. According to Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 11% to 13% of adults in Switzerland are severely overweight.
Gabriela Giacometti from FOPH expects higher costs for basic insurance and estimates an additional CHF 100 million a year will be spent on these drugs. Matthias Müller from the health insurance association Santésuisse expects the drugs to cost insurers an extra CHF 300 million if 2% of the population take them.
If the entire 11% to 13% of the population that is severely overweight took these products, the bill for these drugs could reach as high as CHF 2 billion a year – they cost CHF 190 per month. This would come out at around CHF 230 per resident per year. If this was passed on through higher insurance premiums, a family of four might need to find another CHF 900 a year to cover it.
At the same time, it is possible that less obesity leads to less cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and cancer, which are all costly to treat.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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