3,000 French patients will receive the Wegovy, obesity medication free of charge

Essential
- Wegovy is an obesity medication produced by the Novo Nordisk laboratory.
- 3,000 patients benefited from it free of charge thanks to an early access system.
- Negotiations on its pricing are underway, but the laboratory announces that it will continue to provide free treatment to these patients.
3,000 people can continue to take the Wegovy. The Novo Nordisk laboratory, which produces this obesity medication, will support treatment until the end of the year at the latest. The Ministry of Health announced it in a statement published on February 3.
Wegovy: current negotiations on the price of obesity medication
The Wegovy belongs to the class of GLP-1’s analogues: these drugs simulate the secretion of insulin and thus promote the feeling of satiety. “”Used in the management of overweight and obesity, the Wegovy medication is available via the early access system created in July 2022. It is currently provided free of charge by the Novo Nordisk laboratory as part of the so -called procedure of ‘continuity of treatment’, since the laboratory request in October 2023 from the early access system, specifies the ministry. This graceful supply of Wegovy by the Novo Nordisk laboratory was to end on January 31, 2025. “
Medicine Against obesity: who are the patients concerned?
In December, the High Authority for Health published a reassessment of the drug and concluded that a favorable opinion on its reimbursement under specific conditions. It is recommended only for adults “Having an initial body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m² in the event of a well -conducted nutritional care (. Following this notice, the Danish laboratory wanted to open new negotiations on the price of medicine.
Why could obesity patients benefit from the Wegovy for free?
The Wegovy has been sold in French pharmacies since October 2024, but without being reimbursed. Previously, it was reserved for 3,000 patients included in the early access system. “”Early access is reserved for certain specialties whose efficiency and safety are highly alleged in a precise therapeutic indication aimed at a serious, rare or disabling disease, without appropriate treatment and for which they are presumed innovative, subject to a commitment of the laboratory to file a request for MA within two years“, Indicates the Ministry of Health. The drugs concerned are provided to the health establishment by the laboratory holding operating rights,”As a graceful or affecting compensation, the amount of which is freely fixed by the laboratory “.