CSS boss sounds the alarm 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 massively. "The expenditure for all health insurers in Switzerland will amount to several hundred million francs next year."
16.07.2024, 19:33
SDA
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- Switzerland is one of the few countries where the costs of weight loss injections are reimbursed by basic insurance under certain conditions.
- Philomena Colatrella, head of CSS, sees high costs rolling into the Swiss healthcare system as a result of weight loss medication.
- She is calling for new pricing and financing models.
In an interview with the Tamedia portals published online on Tuesday, Colatrella said that CSS estimates the cost of the appetite suppressant Wegovy alone at over fifty million francs 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.
Prices should fall if sales are high
The CSS CEO pleaded for new pricing and financing models. "We need new approaches in order to be able to finance highly effective and highly innovative medicines in the future." Insurers want to ensure access to new medicines, which is why they need to discuss prices. Colatrella wants to start with top-selling therapies such as Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic. "The higher the sales of a drug, the more price reductions are conceivable."
Colatrella also believes that better data is needed on the effectiveness of therapies. "We don't have the data, such as the systematic recording of treatment successes. That's why we can't measure whether the rising costs are offset by a corresponding increase in health."
The Swiss Medicines Agency Swissmedic approved Wegovy in 2022. Some of the costs have been covered by health insurers since March of this year.
Supply bottlenecks already
The drugs Ozempic, Saxenda and Wegovy are preparations that can be self-administered using an injection pen. Originally designed for the treatment of diabetes patients, they also reduce hunger, which helps those who want to lose weight. The monthly cost of such therapy is around 200 francs.
Wegovy, for example, requires a prescription from a specialist doctor, for which obesity (BMI from 30) or significant overweight (BMI from 27) with concomitant illness must be present. There are now supply bottlenecks for weight loss injections worldwide. There are also considerable side effects in some cases, and the long-term consequences are still unknown. According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 11 to 13 percent of adults in Switzerland are severely overweight.
