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reimbursement
Will Ireland follow the UK with free Mounjaro jabs? Minister says assessment to be ready by next year
Since yesterday, GPs in the UK are now able to offer Mounjaro for free to severely obese individuals.
MOUNJARO, A DRUG used to treat obesity or type-2 diabetes, could be approved for the reimbursement scheme by the next year, according to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
The so-called ‘King Kong’ of weight-loss drugs became available in Ireland via private prescription in February at a cost of over €215 per month.
Since this week, GPs in the UK are now able to offer Mounjaro for free to severely obese individuals who also suffer from a range of other health complications.
About 220,000 people with “greatest need” are expected to receive Mounjaro, according to The Guardian.
Those eligible to get the prescription free-of-charge in the UK must have a BMI of 40 or over and must have four out of five of the following conditions: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and vascular disease, high cholesterol and obstructive sleep apnoea.
When asked today if Ireland will follow such a move, the health minister said Mounjaro, “is going through the reimbursement process, so I’d expect an outcome of that maybe Q4 this year, Q1 of next year”.
Lilly (formerly known as Eli Lilly) applied to the HSE for reimbursement of the medication for type-2 diabetes (in January 2024) and obesity (last June).
In both cases, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) recommended a full health technology assessment (HTA) which will examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the drug.
The minister said it is already the case that Saxenda, which is an injection available to adult patients with prediabetes who are at a high-risk of cardiovascular disease, who also have a certain Body Mass Index (BMI), is available on the reimbursement scheme.
The minister went on to state that Ireland is one of the very few countries where obesity has plateaued, in comparison to some other countries in Europe where it is growing.
“I would say very, very strongly, not to take medication that’s not prescribed,” said the minister.
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