AMERICAN pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is pushing for its weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, to be subsidised by Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for people with severe obesity.
The injectable drug, which is a competitor to Ozempic, has already been made available on Britain's public health care system to some patients, while the US Government is also considering subsidising some drugs for obesity treatment.
If Eli Lilly's proposal is successful in Australia, the subsidy would apply only for a defined group of obese people with related health risks rather than general weight loss, and could set a precedent for other weight loss drugs to be listed on the PBS.
Tori Brown, Eli Lilly's GM for AU/NZ, confirmed the company will soon lodge a funding submission in Canberra.
"Eli Lilly acknowledges the challenge ahead in the Australian environment," Brown said.
"There are no contemporary anti-obesity medications funded by the Australian Government despite multiple unsuccessful applications by another manufacturer.
"However, there is increased understanding within the Federal Government of the benefits offered by medicines such as Mounjaro," she added.
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