Already marketed in 15 countries, Wegovy is now available in French pharmacies. For the moment without refund.
Dressed in bright colors and a flattering skirt, an overweight young woman looks serenely into the reader’s eyes: “I decided to act for myself and for my health“. Nowhere in this advertisement published in the press last week is there any mention of Wegovy, the anti-obesity drug from the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk. And for good reason: such advertising would be prohibited in France. But it is indeed the logo of the Danish group decorated with a reindeer which appears at the bottom right of the advertisement, next to a particularly appropriate message: “Although society still has difficulty accepting it, obesity is a complex chronic disease. Talk to your doctor».
The message is timely. As of this Tuesday, they can prescribe Wegovy to their patient, available in French pharmacies after having been available in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, England and the United States. “France is the 16th country where we are launching this medicineexplains Étienne Tichit, general manager of Novo Nordisk in France. French patients now benefit from a new option to treat obesity, in addition to improving their diet and increasing their physical activity. Three years ago, there was still no treatment.»
Spectacular effects
The effects of Wegovy on weight loss are spectacular: taking this medication, which comes in the form of an injectable solution every week, causes an average weight loss of 15% after 68 weeks, notes l European Medicines Authority (EMA). In the United States, where one in eight people have already taken this drug or another working on the same principle, obesity even seems to have reached its peak and started to decline.
Such performances appeal beyond obese or overweight people, as shown by the flood of publications on social networks – from ordinary people to Elon Musk – praising the effectiveness of Wegovy for losing a few kilos.
It is therefore an understatement to say that in France, the Wegovy “was eagerly awaited”notes Claudine Canal, member of the patient council within the League Against Obesity. In the pharmacy, “requests about Wegovy are frequent», confirms Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France. “And we suspect prescriptions diverted from Ozempic,” a drug from Novo Nordisk already available in France and containing the same active ingredient (semaglutide) but intended for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
«Cases of misuse are provenexplains the national medicine safety agency (ANSM) this Tuesday, in particular the diversion for aesthetic purposes by people for whom this treatment is not indicated. These misuses can lead to sometimes serious side effects.“. This is the reason why the ANSM decided and announced this Tuesday that only doctors specializing in endocrinology-diabetology-nutrition will be able to prescribe drugs from the Wegovy family (aGLP-1), to patients aged less than 65 years old whose BMI is greater than 135. General practitioners, however, will be able to renew the prescription.
No refund
Although it is expected, the Wegovy will not be within the reach of all budgets. As elsewhere in Europe with the exception of Great Britain and Switzerland, it will not be reimbursed by Social Security, at least initially. Novo Nordisk anticipates a price of between 9 euros and 12 euros per day, or between 270 and 360 euros per month, entirely payable by the patient. “The most modest, who are also more affected by obesity, will not be able to benefit from it», deplores Anne-Sophie Joly, president of the national collective of obese associations (CNAO).
Only the 7,000 patients treated for 30 months under the early access exemption framework will continue to benefit from support – by Novo Nordisk and not by Social Security – until the end of January 2025.
All is not lost for other patients, however. Novo Nordisk hopes to receive support in the coming months. In December 2022, the Danish laboratory obtained a positive opinion from the transparency commission for reimbursement, provided that it provided new data demonstrating the effectiveness of Wegovy in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Data provided in May – Wegovy reduces their risk of experiencing a serious cardiovascular event by 20%.
Sufficient doses
The laboratory is no less lucid about the state of public finances, and is not seeking reimbursement for treatment for all eligible patients. “There are 10 million people in France whose BMI is greater than 135notes Étienne Tichit. It is better to limit reimbursement to patients who need it most. This is the case for patients whose BMI is greater than 40 – a criterion for benefiting from early access.»
The doses, on the other hand, should not be lacking this time. In Germany, the launch of Wegovy was constrained by the limited production capacities of Novo Nordisk. But since then, the Danish laboratory has invested massively to produce more, for example buying the factories of subcontractor Catalent for $11 billion. “We will have enough doses to cover the needs of French patients», assures the general director of Novo Nordisk in France.
The success of Ozempic and Wegovy propelled the Danish laboratory to the top of the stock market. A year ago, Novo Nordisk became the largest European capitalization, ahead of LVMH. Today it exceeds the GDP of Denmark, which the laboratory helps to boost.
