The particularly popular anti-obesity treatments Wegovy and Mounjaro are entering the reimbursement system in France, but under strict supervision, caution justified by their potential cost on health insurance expenses and by the risks of misuse.
According to two decrees published Thursday, May 28 in the Official Journal, the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro can be reimbursed only for certain adult patients: those suffering from massive obesity without comorbidity or severe obesity with comorbidity.
This support, set at 65%, is also only provided as second intention, that is to say in the event of failure of initial nutritional support and must be “in addition to a low-calorie diet and an increase in physical activity”.
“Considering the financial impact for health insurance expenses, the risk of potential misuse, outside of its reimbursable indications”, the initial prescription of these injectable drugs will be strictly supervised and controlled. It will be “reserved” for doctors working in structures specializing in obesity, such as specialized obesity centers (CSO), university hospitals or medical care and rehabilitation establishments (SMR), these decrees specify.
The executive thus chose to “partially follow” the recommendations of the High Authority for Health (HAS), which estimates the number of people concerned between one and 2.1 million. The measure must be announced Thursday morning by the Minister of Health Stéphanie Rist, who will make a trip to the specialized obesity center at the Pitié Salpêtrière AP-HP hospital in Paris.
Wegovy from the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro from its American competitor Eli Lilly are GLP-1 analogues, a family of drugs that cause spectacular weight loss and reduce appetite. Until now, the price was freely set by the laboratories and French patients had to pay around €300 per month out of their own pocket for these injectable pens available on prescription in pharmacies since the end of 2024.
Reimbursement from June 15
Patients eligible for reimbursement “will be able to benefit from coverage by Health Insurance from June 15, 2026”, details Novo Nordisk in a press release, a decision presented by the laboratory as “a major advance which strengthens the options available to meet the needs of patients suffering from obesity”.
“France is the first country in the European Union to reimburse treatments against obesity,” underlined the boss of the Danish pharmaceutical giant, Mike Doustdar, in this press release. Other countries, such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom, already offer Wegovy treatment with criteria different from those used in France and a limited treatment duration of up to two years.
“The reimbursement of Mounjaro, a drug produced in France, marks a decisive milestone for French patients,” responded the president of Lilly France, Marcel Lechanteur, in a press release. “Behind this decision, there are patients who have been waiting for a long time for an answer commensurate with their illness,” he added. Reimbursement for the anti-obesity drug Mounjaro already exists in the United Kingdom, Greece and Switzerland for a period of one year.
Apart from this reimbursement, Wegovy and Mounjaro will remain accessible to other patients, but at their expense. They must, however, be prescribed by a specialist doctor or a general practitioner, and be aimed at patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30, or greater than or equal to 27 in the presence of at least one comorbidity factor, in association with dietary measures and an increase in physical activity.
Obesity is a chronic disease that can lead to other pathologies such as hypertension, diabetes, and the risk of cancer. In addition to these medical complications, the social repercussions are notable: isolation, psychological suffering, professional difficulties. It currently affects 18% of adults in France.
Recently, the government unveiled a 2026-2030 obesity plan to support people experiencing obesity through a system, which combines medical support, dietary monitoring, psychological support and adapted physical activity.
