THE Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has called for effective obesity-management medication, which could include semaglutide drugs, to be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to reduce health inequity.
The call reflects its recently released position statement on obesity, which emphasises gaining health, not just losing weight.
RACGP Specific Interest Obesity Management Chair, Dr Terri-Lynne South, said that while a PBS subsidy will help reduce obesity for some patients, the health system must support all patients to gain health, and maintain it.
"There is a growing body of evidence that semaglutide medicines are an effective way for patients to reduce their risk of developing complex and chronic conditions that are linked to overweight and obesity," she said.
"Around 32% of Australian adults live with obesity, and the National Obesity Strategy estimates the direct and indirect costs of this are around $12 billion per year."
Australia's high rate of obesity is a major barrier to health equity, said Dr South, with people in rural and lower socioeconomic status areas more likely to experience obesity.
"Manufacturers have drawn exceptional profits from these medications - now they must invest in reducing costs for patients," she said, pointing out that PBS spending is an investment in health.
"If a medicine is effective and safe, and the cost of a condition to the health system outweighs the cost of treating it with a medicine, there's a strong case to subsidise that medicine."
The call comes just days after the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) sent more than a thousand GPs an 'education letter' raising concerns about their prescribing of semaglutide.
Ozempic is currently PBS listed for type 2 diabetes, but it is often prescribed off-label for weight loss at a non-subsidised cost of $150 for a prefilled pen.
The DoHAC said it had identified the top 10% of doctors writing PBS scripts for Ozempic for patients with no history of taking type 2 diabetes medication, and sent them letters reminding them of the PBS criteria for semaglutide.
"If a patient does not meet the PBS restriction criteria, they must be issued a private prescription," the letter said.
The RACGP also called on all political parties to commit to policies that double the funding available to practices to employ allied health professionals like dieticians, pharmacists, psychologists and diabetes educators in their teams.
"It will immediately improve access to care for our patients, and in the long term, will improve health and wellbeing, meaning fewer people end up in hospital," said RACGP President Dr Michael Wright. KB
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