A new treatment for obesity will be covered by public medical insurance beginning on Wednesday — a first in three decades — offering an expansion of health care options amid concerns about the potential misuse of such drugs by healthy individuals for weight loss.
Wegovy, manufactured by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is joining the national health insurance price list after it gained regulatory approval for manufacturing and sales in March.
The drug — which contains the active ingredient semaglutide — is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which stimulates the body to produce more insulin and lower blood sugar levels. It also induces a sense of being satiated and reduces cravings, factors that appear to give it appetite-suppressing effects.