While Novo Nordisk hasn\u2019t yet made stock available in New Zealand, that is about to change.<\/p>\n
What is Wegovy and how does it work?<\/p>\n
Wegovy is self-administered by a weekly injection and mirrors the natural hormone GLP-1, which regulates appetite. Users report a feeling of fullness and the squashing of \u201cfood noise\u201d, the constant and intrusive thoughts about food. A 2021 clinical trial of semaglutide, the active ingredient in medications like Wegovy, found that participants lost an average of 15% of their body weight in 68 weeks.<\/p>\n
Clare Murphy, host of the Mamamia women\u2019s health podcast Well, has been on Wegovy since March. She was previously on the same drug under the name Ozempic in 2023, but she had to stop when supply was disrupted globally.<\/p>\n
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t truly understand what food noise was because I was always existing with it \u2013 the constant preoccupation with \u2018What am I going to have next?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c… It was like peace for the first time when it came to my relationship with food.\u201d<\/p>\n The medication has given Murphy breathing space to make better decisions around food and exercise, while reducing joint pain. When the global shortage of Ozempic disrupted her treatment, she regained a small amount of weight but kept most of it off.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just continue living your life the same way and expect it to miraculously resolve your weight issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Wegovy doesn\u2019t just affect weight, but health conditions that are connected to it. It reduces the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart attacks while decreasing liver inflammation as well as a host of other benefits.<\/p>\n However, for some patients, Wegovy might be a forever drug. Numerous studies show that many who stop taking Wegovy or similar medications regain much of their weight.<\/p>\n When will it launch?<\/p>\n Novo Nordisk would not confirm a New Zealand launch date. However, numerous health professionals confirmed to RNZ that they had been told July 1.<\/p>\n Clive Cannons, from Clive\u2019s Chemist in Wainuiomata near Wellington, says his drug wholesaler has listed Wegovy\u2019s availability date as July 1. A Novo Nordisk representative recently visited his pharmacy with information on the drug, which is standard procedure before a new drug coming on the market. Representatives are also \u201cdetailing\u201d GPs around New Zealand on best practices for prescribing Wegovy, Cannons says.<\/p>\n Dr Lara Courtenay, a weight-loss physician at the MacMurray Centre in Auckland was told Wegovy would be available July 1 by a pharmacy wholesaler. She is preparing many of her patients who are on Saxenda, a similar but less effective weight loss drug currently available in New Zealand, to transition to Wegovy from July.<\/p>\n Dr Gerard McQuinlan, a Wellington-based GP who specialises in medical weight loss, has told patients he will begin prescribing Wegovy from July 2 to be sure the drug will be available on pharmacists\u2019 shelves.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe patients are hanging out for it because they have all read about it,\u201d says McQuinlan.<\/p>\n What will it cost?<\/p>\n While Medsafe approved the drug, Pharmac is not funding it so users will pay out of pocket and the cost is high and ongoing.<\/p>\n Cannons estimates Wegovy will cost users between $450 to $600 a month. It will be determined by the wholesale price and the price structure of individual pharmacies, he says.<\/p>\n Courtenay believes the price will be around $500 a month, similar to the A$460 Australians typically pay per month. The slightly higher price for New Zealanders will take into account the exchange rate and GST, which Australia does not add to medications, she says.<\/p>\n What are the side effects?<\/p>\n Like most drugs, Wegovy comes with a long list of side effects. Some are common, others are not. Nausea is a highly reported side effect. Murphy experiences this on and off.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, I take a good drink of water, it can go away but for other people I\u2019ve heard it can be quite bad.\u201d<\/p>\n