Weight loss injections become more attainable as they enter beauty clinics
Thérapie Clinics, best known for lip fillers and laser hair removal treatments, has now launched the doctor-led service Thérapie Health to provide access to Wegovy obesity treatment injections in Ireland.
The company says it is a 'medically managed programme for those who meet the correct criteria'.
The move has been largely appreciated by experts and patients who are advocating for increased accessibility to the medication to prevent people looking towards the black market.
According to the HSE,
Ireland has one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe
, with 60% of adults living with the disease.
Obesity treatment injections are intended to fight obesity and its associated diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, several types of cancer, pain and musculoskeletal disorders.
It costs €365 to begin using obesity treatment injections at Thérapie Health, including €220 per month for the Wegovy medication. Each follow-up appointment costs €35.
Belinda Hogan, who lost over 80 pounds using Ozempic between 2022 and 2023, told
The Journal
she welcomes an increase in the availability of the obesity treatment injections.
'I would say it's a good thing because if you get to go in and sit in front of a doctor, they can check your health markers,' she said.
She highlighted the importance of doctors being knowledgeable about the medications and clearly communicating the administration process to patients.
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Hogan runs an online coaching programme for users of weight loss injections, she said she receives messages every day from people who have been prescribed the medication but don't know how to use it.
She also said cost can be a barrier to accessing obesity treatment injections.
'It's wealthcare as opposed to healthcare. It's not fair,' she said.
'It doesn't just help you lose weight, it staves off other health medications. It stopped me getting diabetes, and being an absolute drain on the system,' she added.
Hogan uses an online doctor service based in Northern Ireland to access her prescription to Mounjaro, as the medication is cheaper in the North.
Mounjaro medication generally ranges from €285 to €475 per month in pharmacies in the Republic of Ireland, in comparison to £133.40 (€153.94) to £254.91 (€294.06) per month in pharmacies in Northern Ireland.
Aisling O'Leary lost over 100 pounds using Ozempic between 2022 and 2023.
She said: 'I'm a huge advocate for these medications to be used for treatment of chronic obesity, but it is a disease, and it should be done right through the correct channels.'
'People need to be making monthly check-ups, but also need to be referred to a dietician and counsellor to treat all parts of the obesity disease, not just take the medication and hope for the best,' she added.
O'Leary, who is a medical card holder, paid €139.50 monthly for Ozempic during her weight loss journey, which took a considerable chunk out of her income as a pensioner.
She said the medication should be available on the drug payment scheme, adding that many people travel to Northern Ireland to access Mounjaro.
Dr Francis Finucane, Consultant Endocrinologist with the National Clinical Programme for Obesity, told
The Journal
he welcomes the move by Thérapie.
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He said: 'It appears to be a bona fide clinically supervised doctor service with carefully considered criteria'.
Dr Finucane said the cost of the drugs act as a barrier for people who could benefit from their use and criticised the lack of funding for obesity treatment medication in Ireland.
Weight loss injections in Ireland currently cost between €120 and €475 per month.
He said: 'They are extremely expensive considering they are being used for legitimate a disease.'
'The Health Service will not fund effective proven treatment of disease', he said, adding that services relating to diseases from alcohol and smoking are funded 'generously and compassionately' by the state.
Minister for Health Carroll MacNeill said that Wegovy will be available as early as the end of 2025 as part of the HSE's reimbursement schemes, including the Medical Card Scheme and Drugs Payment Scheme. Another weight loss injection, Saxenda, has been available on the scheme since January 2023.
Dr Finucane warned that caution must be exercised when accessing obesity treatment injections.
'There are unscrupulous actors out there using these drugs for cosmetics, gaining financially from vulnerable people who want to be skinny,' he said.
He said that in some cases obesity treatment injections are not being used for their intention of fighting obesity and the connected health issues, but rather as a cosmetic enhancement to fulfil the 'cultural desire for thinness'.
According to Dr Finucane, the aesthetical desire to be thin 'mopped up the demand for the medication', in part contributing to the
shortage of these medications
in 2023.
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