Professor Boyd Swinburn, EDOR advisory board member and expert on obesity, has been interviewed by RNZ about a new weight loss medication available in New Zealand pharmacies this month.
Wegovy, an injectable weight loss drug, is now available on prescription but is not funded by the New Zealand government and costs around $500 a month.
The weight loss medication acts by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1, making people feel like they have had enough to eat. However the long term effects of using Wegovy are unknown, and those who come off the medication tend to regain any weight that they have lost.
Professor Swinburn says that while these types of medications remain unfunded, they will not have a significant impact on the obesity epidemic. Currently one third of New Zealanders are living with obesity.
As weight loss medications become more affordable over time, Professor Swinburn believes that they could be used to assist those wishing to lose weight and help prevent the complications of obesity (such as type 2 diabetes) in a similar way to how other medications are used to reduce high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
However, the most efficient and cost-effective way to prevent diet-related diseases at a population level is by using prevention measures, such as making healthy food more affordable and disincentivising foods and beverages which contribute to the obesity epidemic.
Listen to Professor Swinburn's interview on RNZ
Ozempic's sister drug Wegovy hits shelves today, RNZ, 1 July 2025 (6 mins 23sec).