Should the taxpayer fund weight loss medications?

From celery-juice cleanses to infomercial ab-busting gadgets, society has always been on a diet.

It’s a global, multi-billion-dollar powerhouse industry.

The latest trend that you would have heard about are GLP1s, or weight-loss injections.

Pharmac is seeking advice on whether they should be funded for certain people.

Australia’s committed to it for certain patients, taking the cost down to about $29 per script.

A drug like Wegovy for instance, costs about $460 per script in New Zealand.

But, are they really beneficial? Or, is it just the next get skinny quick ploy?

Today on The Front Page, obesity specialist, Dr Gerard McQuinlan is with us to explore whether these drugs should be funded, or is diet and exercise really the only answer?

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