Health CSS boss: weight loss injections will cost health insurers hundreds of millions

According to CSS boss Philomena Colatrella, the hype surrounding diabetes and weight loss injections is driving up healthcare costs on a massive scale. "The expenditure for all health insurers in Switzerland will amount to several hundred million francs next year."

In an interview with the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper published online on Tuesday, Colatrella said that CSS estimates the cost of the appetite suppressant Wegovy alone at over CHF 50 million next year. It is not yet known whether other therapy costs will fall in return. The long-term consequences are also not yet clear. "What we are seeing is a very strong increase in volumes."

A country comparison with the USA, Germany and Canada showed that Switzerland has the highest per capita use of fat-away injections, according to a study published on Monday in the specialist journal "JAMA Internal Medicine". Switzerland is one of the few countries where the cost of the injection is reimbursed by basic insurance under certain conditions.