Ozempic changed the lives of obesity patients. And then we had to stop prescribing it

It is hard to reconcile the lack of availability of semaglutide in Irish pharmacies with anecdotal evidence that it is widely available online and for primarily cosmetic purposes. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesIn the five years or so that semaglutide, commonly known by its brand name, Ozempic, became available in Ireland, it has transformed not just how we treat obesity, but also public perceptions of the condition.

Patients with obesity who don’t have diabetes invariably have to pay €130 per month – indefinitely, because when you stop the drug, all the benefits are lost Communication from the Medical Council has felt inadequate – basically writing to individual doctors and organisations commending their patient advocacy, but not issuing a follow-up correction of the inaccurate “warning” to all doctors and pharmacists. All the while, GPs remain understandably reluctant to prescribe a really effective treatment, and chemists remain reluctant to dispense it.

If the reluctance to prescribe or dispense semaglutide and the lack of stock are two barriers to treatment; another one remains the huge cost. Patients with obesity who don’t have diabetes invariably have to pay €130 per month – indefinitely, because when you stop the drug, all the benefits are lost. We can’t expect the Government to foot this bill, because at this price, it is prohibitively cost-ineffective.

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