As of today, Mounjaro, a medicine against type 2 diabetes and obesity, is available on prescription in our country. It is an alternative to the quickly established Ozempic. According to studies, weight loss with Mounjaro is even twice as great. In terms of price, the American Mounjaro is twice as high, and there is no reimbursement for diabetes patients yet.
Source: VRT – Radio 1
Today at 09:34
The drug from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly works in the same way as Ozempic and other obesity medications: it imitates the action of hormones that occur in our intestines to suppress appetite. Unlike Ozempic, the active substance in Mounjaro mimics not one, but two intestinal hormones. “The weight loss with Ozempic is 10 percent, while with Mounjaro the average is 20 percent, according to studies,” gastrointestinal surgeon Yves Van Nieuwenhove (UZ Ghent) said on Radio 1 on Friday morning. Doctors emphasize that the weight loss only occurs as long as the patient taking the medicine. If the lifestyle does not improve afterwards, such as exercising more and eating healthier, weight gain will occur again.
READ ALSO. These remedies are said to be a kind of ‘natural Ozempic’, but do they really lose weight? “This is especially bad for your teeth”
The drug is intended for adults with type 2 diabetes and for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30. Adults with a BMI of 27 or more are also eligible, provided they already have an underlying condition linked to obesity. Mounjaro should not be used during pregnancy. The manufacturer advises against using the drug if you want to become pregnant.
No refund
Mounjaro will not be reimbursed for the time being, although a reimbursement procedure is ongoing for patients with type 2 diabetes, the RIZIV says. An injection pen with 4 doses of Mounjaro costs 232.8 euros, which lasts patients for a month. A month of Ozempic costs at least 100 euros, but diabetes patients are already reimbursed. Without a prescription and therefore reimbursement, you will also end up with an amount of at least 1200 euros per year for Ozempic.
The popularity of Ozempic created a shortage in our country, which forced Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) to take measures. Diabetic patients are therefore given priority and only endocrinologists can prescribe Ozempic, patients with severe obesity only come next. Such a restriction does not (yet) apply to Mounjaro, because the evaluation is still ongoing according to the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAGG).
READ ALSO. Pharma giants looking for their own ‘Ozempic’: these are the contenders
