The case in summary More people become dependent on social assistance due to costs associated with diet pills. The medicines, which help with obesity, cost approx. NOK 36,000 a year and is not covered by a blue prescription. The municipal superintendent in Steinkjer warns that the medicines contribute to increased social inequality. Sales of diet pills have exploded in Norway, with 1.5 million packages sold last year. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Already after three or four days of the slimming medicine Wegovy, Isabelle (29) noticed the effect. She got full faster, stayed full longer and had less of a sweet tooth. By the time three or four weeks had passed, she had gained significantly more energy. The 29-year-old from Finnmark, who lives in Trondheim, nevertheless felt compelled to stop taking the medicine. – It was sad and demotivating – a real punch in the face. But the expense meant that we lived on the poverty line. We had to prioritize milk and yoghurt for the children over diet pills for mum. Isabelle could not bring herself to continue with Wegovy. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news The municipal supervisor in Steinkjer in Trøndelag, Nina Kjenstadbakk-Steinkjer, is worried. – Should doctors contribute to increasing the social inequality that we know leads to even greater inequality in health? she asks. NOK 36,000 a year Both adults and children in Steinkjer municipality with 24,000 inhabitants have received prescriptions for Wegovy, Saxenda or similar. These medicines help people with overweight and obesity. The substances they contain affect the brain, so that you feel less hungry, get full faster and have less appetite. On average, those who use the most effective medicine until now lose around 15 percent in weight. But the medicines can also cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. And slimmer bank account. The Norwegian health authorities will not give them on prescription. The argument is that the effect is not good enough in relation to how much the injections cost. Thus, each individual must pay for himself. It costs around NOK 3,000 a month, i.e. NOK 36,000 a year. – This affects those who already have difficulties paying for their living expenses. This does not only apply to adults – children are also prescribed these drugs by doctors. This can overturn the entire private economy, so that you end up as a recipient of social assistance, says the municipal superintendent. – Overweight and obesity are a social problem. And the same is social inequality – that people lack money for their livelihood, says municipal chief physician in Steinkjer, Nina Kjenstadbakk-Steinkjer. Photo: Eivind Aabakken / news A social problem This is also confirmed by NAV: – We get more social assistance recipients in society because we have a medicine that is so expensive, says Ingunn Lillemark Susegg in NAV Inn-Trøndelag. Sales of diet pills have exploded in Norway. Last year, pharmacies sold 1.5 million packs of Ozempic, Saxenda, Wegovy and Mysimba. Hello! Do you or your children use obesity medicine? Then we would like to get in touch with you! Or perhaps you have tips for other topics around obesity and lifestyle? Today, most Norwegians are overweight or obese, measured in BMI. Around a quarter of people in their 40s are obese. The risk of obesity is greater if you earn little and have a low education. It is the same group that most often needs social assistance. The combination can make the trip to NAV shorter. – Medicine can help ensure that they are no longer financially self-reliant, says Susegg. Ingunn Lillemark Susegg thinks it is unfortunate that large monthly medical expenses contribute to us getting more social assistance recipients. Photo: NAV When NAV receives applications for help, they make an individual assessment of whether the user actually needs the medicine. People must document that they have tried other things first, such as changing their lifestyle and diet. They don’t always cover what people are looking for. – Social assistance should initially be a temporary and short-term benefit. Slimming medication can result in a need for social assistance over a longer period of time. news has had contact with NAV in Oslo and Trondheim. They have not noticed any unusual influx of people applying for support to buy medicine. Listen to the podcast Updated about how a Danish company managed to develop the medicine that is being called a revolution. Choose better health or better finances? Slowly but surely the wolf hunger returned for Isabelle. She considered applying for social assistance to be able to continue with the slimming medication, but says an application would end up being rejected. This is because the husband has got a permanent job and earns just a little too well, according to her. – It’s probably only a matter of hundreds of dollars. She is surprised by the calculation of the health authorities. – Slimming drugs improve health and increase the quality of life. The secondary diseases you can get from obesity and overweight will cost society dearly, says the 29-year-old. Isabelle fully understands that people seek social assistance to be able to use slimming drugs. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news – Living with obesity is difficult in several ways, says Mona Kverneland Langerud (39). – Not only because of the extra kilos on the body, but also because it goes beyond the quality of life, the self-image and the spark to get up and seize the day. When the GP wanted to give her a prescription for diet pills, the single mother and the student had to think carefully. – I don’t have good advice – I rather have very bad advice. At the same time, I want to be a good role model for my children, and be involved in their everyday life in an active way. And of course be in their lives as long as possible, without diabetes, gout or worse. – The question I asked myself: “Can I afford not to take this medicine?” says Langerud. Mona Kverneland Langerud has, among other things, cut down on the Wegovy dose in order to afford the medicine. Photo: Knut-Øyvind Hagen / news Had to cut back on the dose She got Wegovy on a white prescription. So far she has lost 16 kilos. – You have health on one side, and the economy on the other. This is a really difficult weighting. The 39-year-old fully understands that more people have to ask for social assistance. So far, she has managed to solve the financial predicament herself by cutting back on the dose, so that the annual expenditure will be NOK 21,000. In addition, she takes on as many on-call duties as she can at an institution alongside her studies. She finds it sad that the time she should have had with the children has to be spent at work. – Medicine must be cheaper or on blue prescription for most people, says Langerud. Danish company earns fat Municipal supervisor Nina Kjendstadbakk-Steinkjer is clear that the medicines can be life-changing for many with obesity. – But we have to look at other possibilities to help everyone. Now there will be increased class separation and social inequality in society, because medicine is something that those with the most money can afford. And not those who need it most. Is it okay for the public to finance pharmaceutical manufacturers via NAV? The Danish manufacturer of the medicines in question earns record sums. Last year, Novo Nordisk had the largest profit in its 100-year history, writes DR. At the same time, the company is struggling to make enough medicine for everyone who wants it. Hear Nordic correspondent Joakim Reigstad tell about the Danish slimming success in Ukeslutt:
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Slimming drugs, such as Wegovy, make more people dependent on social assistance – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
