Health charity welcomes Pharmac recommendation to fund GLP-1s for people with heart disease
The Foundation welcomes Pharmac's recommendation to fund semaglutide for high-risk cardiovascular patients, potentially reducing heart attacks, strokes and deaths by 20%.
The Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ welcomes the recommendation for Pharmac to fund a GLP-1 medicine for people with cardiovascular disease.
The recommendation, which came from the agency’s Cardiovascular Advisory Committee, recommended Pharmac fund semaglutide (Wegovy) as a high priority for people with cardiovascular disease and a BMI of 27 or more.
Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says funding this treatment has the potential to prevent thousands of cardiovascular events and improve the lives of people living with cardiovascular disease.
“Cardiovascular disease is responsible for almost one in three deaths in this country, so if there is a drug that can help reduce that, it should be funded under urgency.
Foundation Cardiac Medical Director Dr Andrew Chatfield says GLP-1 medicines are much more than weight loss treatments.
“We have compelling evidence that semaglutide can reduce major cardiovascular events in people with established heart disease, providing benefits extending beyond weight loss.”
Research shows that GLP-1s can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke) by 20 per cent.
Ms Harding says many people living with heart disease are doing everything right and are still at high risk.
“These are people who’ve had a heart attack or stroke, taken their medication and made changes to their lifestyle, but are still at risk of - and worried about - it happening again.”
The medicine is already available in New Zealand but is not publicly funded.
The Foundation will be watching closely as the process continues, Ms Harding says.
“We want to see clear criteria that prioritise the people at highest risk.
“The sooner this is funded, the more heart attacks and strokes we can prevent.”