The demand for weight loss injections no longer stops. But the disease boxes sound the alarm due to the increase in costs. Policies also require that the effectiveness of the drug be verified.
SDA (Archivbild)
Mild injections are considered worldwide as a hope against obesity and diabetes. In Switzerland too, these drugs are the subject of a high demand, but until 2024, only an active principle was available, which led to shortages.
Since last year, another active ingredient has been authorized and costs have been covered by sickness funds. For patients with significant or very important overweight, these preparations are part of basic insurance.
The disease boxes complain about high costs
But the health insurance funds are now sounding alarm: the costs of these very popular dietary injections are skyrocketing. This is what the “Blick” reports. According to this newspaper, specialists expect therapies to cost in the medium term up to 300 million francs per year to bonus payers.
The effectiveness of weight loss injections is not guaranteed. Indeed, studies have shown that patients are gaining weight shortly after stopping the active substance.
However, for a drug to be covered by basic insurance, it must be effective. And more and more sickness cases doubt this efficiency. Thus, the CSS “sees with a critical eye of economy and efficiency in the sense of sustainability”, as it lets in the newspaper. It is “problematic” that the necessary criteria are only met because it is assumed that weight loss automatically prevents secondary diseases or diabetes.
The PLR wants to be clear
According to the report, in addition to the CSS, the mutual group and the Helsana insurance question the usefulness of the active substance. For Helsana, it would also be necessary to “clarify whether these drugs really and long -term have a positive influence on the health of the population”.
The cost of dietetic drugs also concerns policies. “Due to the high costs paid jointly paid by bonuse payers, it is essential that the criteria of efficiency, adequacy and economicalness of these drugs are closely examined,” said for example the Lucernois Liberal-Radical States Advisor Damian Müller.
The Federal Office for Public Health (FOSP), on the other hand, refutes this idea: there is no question of a precipitated admission to basic care, he said to the “Blick”. Indeed, the three criteria were carefully examined. In addition, the preparation was only accepted for a limited period of three years due to the lack of long -term studies: “The OFSP will closely monitor the criteria and re -examine them before the expiration of the deadline”.
