Peter Shepherd: Auckland University Professor of Molecular Medicine on Pharmac funding weight loss drugs

Pharmac is seeking clinical advice on whether weight loss medication should be funded in New Zealand.  One in three people over the age of 15 are classified as obese and one in eight children aged between two and 14. Pharmac received two applications to fund Wegovy or semaglutide - a GLP-1 receptor agonist for weight loss. Auckland University Professor of Molecular Medicine Peter Shepherd told Andrew Dickens despite it being a short-term fix, it's like any other medicine.  He says it's the same as heart disease or blood pressure medication - as soon as you go off them, they lose their effect as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.