Novo Nordisk wants to help more people get Wegovy jabs, including those who are currently unable to access them.
Novo Nordisk, a maker of obesity drugs, said that it would offer countries the option to “buy now and pay later” for its treatments. It is planning a push in order to reach more people, who are currently unable to access their jabs.
The Dutch pharmaceutical company, headed by Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said that Novo Nordisk is in discussions to increase the uptake of its weight-loss injections. This will be done by helping healthcare providers spread the costs of these treatments.
In an interview with the Financial Times Mr Jorgensen stated that innovative pricing deals will allow countries to adopt medicines upfront, reap the benefits, and pay later.
He continued: “How can the healthcare system justify a large upfront payment that will lead to significant savings in the future? I believe we must share the risk in order to move forward.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy treatment was found to help individuals lose up to 15% of their body weight in just one year. High-profile figures such as Elon Musk and Boris Johnson credited it with helping them lose weight.
There are restrictions on access to the NHS and other countries.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in Britain (NICE), based on cost-effectiveness, decides who gets which treatment on the NHS.
In order to be eligible for Wegovy, a person must have a weight-related illness, such as high blood pressure, and have a BMI over 35. The treatment is also available to people with a BMI between 30 and 34.9, provided they meet certain criteria.
Novo Nordisk’s spokesman said: “The NICE final appraisal determination recommendation for Wegovy confirms that it is a cost effective use of NHS resources.”
NICE may decide to reconsider recommending treatments to the public, if new evidence is found that shows they are more cost-effective. In August, early trial results suggested that Novo Nordisk’s top-selling Wegovy drug could also reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Mr Jorgensen stated that Novo Nordisk would need to treat more patients to “make a dent” in obesity rates. He added: “We are willing to explore what arrangements we could make with healthcare systems to help them better serve patients who most need it.”
Novo Nordisk said recently that it will be several years before the shortages are resolved. Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly (which makes its own weight loss treatment), have been racing to increase production.
Novo Nordisk announced last week a £1.9bn agreement to expand their manufacturing facilities in France.
The comments of Mr Jorgensen on more flexible payment options are part of a wider rethinking within the NHS about whether it can do more innovative pricing deals in order to get new medicines to patients.
The UK is one of the countries that are leading the way in these deals. These can include clauses which make the contracts less risky financially for the NHS, such as the introduction of patient spending limits.
NHS England announced earlier this month that it would be experimenting with “innovative” payment models for treatments like gene therapy, and will run a pilot program to establish “outcome-based contracts”.