Makers of obesity drugs are seeking to have their products reimbursed, which would cost the state budget about PLN 1.5 billion over several years. They have already spent millions of zlotys on sponsorship agreements, according to Friday’s Rzeczpospolita.
Last year, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the makers of the obesity drugs Mounjaro and Wegovy, gave doctors and health care organizations a total of about PLN 25 million, Rzeczpospolita reports. Of that amount, PLN 16 million went to sponsoring scientific societies, universities, hospitals and patient organizations, and about PLN 9 million went to payments to medical professionals for services provided. These expenses do not include, among other things, funding for doctors’ travel to conferences.
The daily reports that money from the pharmaceutical companies also supports public campaigns and educational initiatives on obesity treatment. Entities funded by the drug makers are involved in events on the subject, including some held in parliament. Deputy Sejm Speaker Monika Wielichowska and Sen. Agnieszka Gorgoń-Komor, both of the Civic Coalition (KO), are said to be particularly active in the fight against obesity, according to Rzeczpospolita. Representatives of the Ministry of Health are critical of the scale of the lobbying, which, the newspaper quotes them as saying, has crossed “the walls of parliament and the limits of decency.”
The manufacturers are pushing for reimbursement of their products. According to estimates cited by Rzeczpospolita, reimbursing Mounjaro would mean an additional cost of PLN 550 million over two years, and reimbursing Wegovy about PLN 860 million over four years. The president of the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System has not so far recommended reimbursement of either therapy. Meanwhile, last year Poles spent nearly PLN 1.5 billion on these drugs, including PLN 1.29 billion on Mounjaro and PLN 182 million on Wegovy. (PAP)
