Wegovy is currently the only GLP-1 receptor agonist approved and available in New Zealand specifically for weight loss.
Photo: AFP / Jens Kalaene
More than 18,000 New Zealanders have been prescribed the weight-loss drug Wegovy in the past three months, according to provisional data from Health New Zealand.
The injectable treatment, approved here from July, is available on prescription and costs between $450 to $630 a month.
Wegovy (semaglutide) is currently the only GLP-1 receptor agonist approved and available in New Zealand specifically for weight loss.
Provisional data provided by Te Whatu Ora to RNZ showed that since Wegovy was introduced into New Zealand, 18,178 people had been dispensed at least one month’s supply between 1 July and 29 October.
GPs can prescribe the medication, but a number of registered medical websites are popping up – and advertising heavily. People can fill in their details remotely and be emailed a prescription directly.
Weight loss specialist Dr Gerard McQuinlan told Morning Report more than 80 percent of his patients, approximately 190 out of 230, were on Wegovy.
He said the medicine was a “gamechanger” for them.
“I prescribe it pretty much every week and the impact is huge. These medications really work, they alter the brain pathways that drive obesity. It’s been very effective, and for people living with obesity losing weight is a very good way of becoming quite healthy, very quickly.”
Combating obesity helped reduce the risks of heart disease and cancers down the line, he added.
Wegovy was currently unfunded, he said, and the cost was a “significant barrier”.
He hoped the government would “come to the party at some point and start funding these medications, like they fund statins for the prevention of heart disease. We’d like to see these medications funded to prevent other diseases such as cancer, and other diseases associated with obesity.”
McQuinlan said that while it was possible to buy Wegovy from a registered online website, the first appointment should always be in person.
“I think it’s very important, as it is a disease that with these medications, you have to have a conversation with your doctor or a nurse practitioner, or nurse prescriber.
“Obesity is a long-term chronic condition, there’s no cure for it. The worst thing that can happen is that a person starts their weight loss journey with medication and then it is stopped, for whatever reason.”
McQuinlan said he stressed to patients that obesity required long-term care.
A Health NZ spokesperson said Wegovy was intended for long-term use alongside lifestyle changes, and discontinuation typically led to weight regain.
Health NZ’s guidelines stated Wegovy should only be approved for adults with a BMI of 30 and over, or adolescents aged 12 and over with obesity in the 95th percentile and over, and a body weight over 60kg.
The drug can also be given to those with a BMI of 27 and over with at least one weight-related co-morbidity (such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnoea).
Common side effects included nausea, constipation and vomiting, particularly during dose escalation.
Medications were just one part of a broader approach to health and wellbeing, the spokesperson said.
“We encourage people to speak with their trusted health professional, such as someone from their general practice team, who knows their health history and can support safe, personalised care. Continuity of care is especially important when considering long-term treatments.”
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