Last month, New Zealand’s pharmaceutical funding agency Pharmac included Wegovy on its list of medicines being considered for future public funding.
If approved, the drug would initially be made available to people with severe obesity or those who are overweight and have related health conditions.
New Zealand continues to record some of the highest obesity rates among developed countries. About one in three adults and one in eight children are now classified as obese, while roughly two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese.
Wegovy contains semaglutide, a medication that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar levels, leading people to feel fuller for longer.
Clinical trials have shown that, when used alongside lifestyle changes, the results can be significant. In one major study, participants lost about 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks.
For some individuals, this can lower the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other long-term health conditions.
However, most people need to continue taking it to sustain weight loss, with many regaining weight after stopping treatment.
Debates around Wegovy can sometimes frame obesity primarily as a matter of personal choice and individual responsibility.
Research shows that people’s environments strongly shape what and how they eat.
Highly processed, energy-dense foods are widely available today, heavily marketed, and often cheaper than healthier alternatives.
Māori and Pacific communities also experience notably higher rates of obesity, which reflects wider inequities in income, housing, and access to healthy food.
Fast-food outlets, which are dominated by unhealthy options, also tend to be heavily concentrated in more deprived areas.
Children’s everyday environments also contribute. Studies suggest that in many New Zealand schools, unhealthy foods are still easier to access, and healthy food policies are applied inconsistently.
Taken together, these factors highlight that obesity is fundamentally a systems issue, not one that can be addressed through pharmaceutical treatment alone.
Public funding for Wegovy could help reduce future healthcare costs by lowering rates of diabetes and heart disease. However, unless the underlying drivers of obesity are addressed, the number of people requiring treatment is likely to keep rising.
Reducing obesity at a population level requires addressing the environments that shape everyday life. This includes improving access to affordable healthy food, restricting the marketing of unhealthy products, and strengthening school food environments.
While these measures are more complex than prescribing a drug, they are also more likely to provide a lasting solution to a crisis that is placing an increasingly heavy burden on New Zealand each year.