Everything there is to know about the use of GLP-1 drugs in Italy Including Lombardy's proposal to make them more accessible
Not everyone knows that a few months ago Italy approved a law recognizing obesity as a chronic disease. This was an important step, also because it is the first regulation of this kind. However, drugs to treat this condition – particularly the latest ones introduced to the market – are still not included in the so-called Essential Levels of Care (LEA), which is the set of services that the National Health Service is required to provide to all citizens. Until the LEA are updated, drugs for obesity treatment will therefore continue to have a rather high cost for patients.
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The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), the body that determines in Italy whether a drug can be reimbursed by the National Health Service, has clarified that the current approach is to identify priority groups among patients with obesity, focusing on high-risk categories, and then define reimbursement criteria based on this.
Lombardy’s initiative on GLP-1 drugs
The Region of Lombardy has recently tried to address the issue related to the Essential Levels of Care by preparing a plan for the sale at a reduced price of certain obesity medications. In particular, these are drugs known by the acronym GLP-1, widely used in recent years for their effectiveness in promoting weight loss. The most well-known is undoubtedly Wegovy, also marketed under the name Ozempic – at a different dosage – for diabetes treatment, the field in which its positive effects on obesity were initially observed.
Essentially, Lombardy has included combating obesity among the objectives of regional healthcare for the current year. The project also aims to reduce the economic impact of obesity on local health services, thanks to the effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs. Since these medications cannot be distributed through the National Health Service, Lombardy has decided to make them available at a more affordable price – otherwise, for those suffering from obesity, their cost would be hundreds of euros per month.
How the project will work
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The distribution of GLP-1 medications in Lombardy should follow a model similar to that already adopted for other chronic diseases: the drugs will be prescribed by the doctor to patients in need and can be picked up at dedicated facilities, at a regulated price set by the regional agreement. The final cost of these drugs will be lower than the current one, because it will not include the portion intended to cover the expenses of pharmacies, among other stakeholders involved in this supply chain, as happens with drugs not distributed through the national or regional health system.
It remains true that the Lombardy Region still has to define many details of the initiative. For example, the criteria for being eligible to purchase these drugs at a reduced price have not been established, nor is it clear which of them will actually be made available. The most well-known is indeed Wegovy (often cited under the name Ozempic), which has been widely discussed, also due to its use in attempts to treat certain addictions, but there are other similar drugs already available in Lombardy, including Saxenda.
