Obesity costs society whether treated or not, Novo Nordisk says

Obesity-related problems are estimated to cost Finnish society around €3 billion a year, Yle reported. Jaakko Linna, managing director of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk’s Finnish operations, said the costs arise both from treating obesity and from leaving it untreated.

“If we do not treat obesity, three billion euros is the cost of not treating it,” Linna said on the A-talk programme.

Finns rank among the top three European countries in obesity statistics. The treatment of obesity has recently sparked debate after Patrik Jonsson, head of international operations at pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, told Helsingin Sanomat that obesity is treated incorrectly in Finland.

Jonsson said obesity is still largely defined in Finland as a lifestyle choice, which he said was not accurate.

Pharmaceutical companies have called for public reimbursement of obesity medicines. In Finland, the decision not to reimburse them has been justified by saying that their health benefits are not sufficient in relation to their cost.

Patent protection for obesity medicines is expected to expire in about five years, which is estimated to lead to lower prices. Linna said the expiry of pharmaceutical patents generally results in significant price reductions.

Medicines alone are not enough

Linna said the obesity problem cannot be solved with medicines alone. Prevention measures and cooperation between different sectors are also needed.

According to Linna, Novo Nordisk’s obesity medicines Ozempic and Wegovy are currently among the least expensive in Europe. The cost of treatment for one patient has been estimated at about €400 a month.

Linna said the prices reflect the years or decades of research and product development required before new medicines reach the market. Those costs run into billions of euros and initially affect the prices of new medicines, he said.