The Federal Ministry of Health currently has no plans to allow weight loss medications such as Wegovy from Novo Nordisk to be reimbursed by health insurance companies. “Changes to the statutory health insurance reimbursement of medicines for losing weight are currently not planned,” said the Federal Ministry of Health in response to a request from the Reuters news agency.
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The reason was the plans of the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, whose weight loss injection Zepbound was approved in the EU in December. The company had announced that it was in a “good dialogue” with the federal government regarding the reimbursement of obesity medications. “I am optimistic that we will find an agreement,” said Ilya Yuffa, President of Lilly International Spiegel said.
In Germany, statutory health insurance patients have to pay for the medication themselves because medications used to regulate weight are excluded from reimbursement by statutory health insurance companies. It therefore depends on the wealth of those affected whether they can afford the injections. The treatment costs a few hundred euros per month.
According to the fifth social code, medicines used to regulate body weight and suppress appetite are considered so-called “lifestyle medicines”. They are generally excluded from reimbursement by health insurance companies.
The Federal Ministry of Health currently has no plans to allow weight loss medications such as Wegovy from Novo Nordisk to be reimbursed by health insurance companies. “Changes to the statutory health insurance reimbursement of medicines for losing weight are currently not planned,” said the Federal Ministry of Health in response to a request from the Reuters news agency.
The reason was the plans of the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, whose weight loss injection Zepbound was approved in the EU in December. The company had announced that it was in a “good dialogue” with the federal government regarding the reimbursement of obesity medications. “I am optimistic that we will find an agreement,” said Ilya Yuffa, President of Lilly International Spiegel said.