Novo Nordisk has launched its massively fashionable and dear weight-loss drug Wegovy in Germany, which isn’t coated underneath the nation’s medical insurance plans.
The drug, which helps sufferers do away with physique weight by round 15% when used with train and life-style adjustments is already in america and in small European markets like Norway and Denmark.
German sufferers have acquired their first prescriptions, confirmed a Novo spokesperson on Saturday.
Excessive demand for the drug has been anticipated in Germany, mentioned medical doctors and sufferers, with a lot of them able to pay the associated fee beginning at 170 euros ($190) a month which may additionally rise to greater than 300 euros, in keeping with Reuters.
Nevertheless, the regulation bars public medical insurance, which covers about 90% of Germans, from protecting weight-loss medication. However protection will differ for individuals who have personal medical insurance.
The arrival of Wegovy has been welcomed by affected person advocates and physicians as Germany has about 18.5% of adults who’re overweight.
Novo sells the drug for as a lot as $1,350 a month within the US and can monitor the prescriptions in Germany to make the drug accessible to sufferers.
Germany’s healthcare system doesn’t deal with weight problems as a persistent illness however moderately as a life-style.