Government Seeks to Bring Weight-Loss Drugs to Brazil's Public Health System, but Approval and Funding Needed - Folha de S.Paulo

Brazil's Health Ministry is considering asking Conitec (National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies into the Unified Health System) to approve the use of weight-loss drugs in the SUS, a measure that has become one of Lula's (PT) campaign promises.

The so-called weight-loss drugs are GLP-1 agonists, medications based on a hormone naturally produced by the human body that helps control blood glucose levels and regulate satiety. They are indicated to treat diabetes and obesity.

The main brands on the market contain semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy, by Novo Nordisk, as well as Brazilian brands such as EMS's Ozivy) and tirzepatide (Eli Lilly's Mounjaro), the latter also acting on the GIP hormone receptor.

SUS officials following the debate say it has not yet been decided whether the request will be submitted before the October election, in which the president is running for reelection.

Providing weight-loss drugs has become part of Lula's campaign. "What's important is that this little shot will be used to provide free care to people who have obesity, OK?" Lula said during a visit to Montes Claros (MG) on Thursday (17).

The Health Ministry is analyzing data on the drugs' effects, as well as the financial impact of potential public purchases, based on a study conducted at GHC (Conceição Hospital Group) in Porto Alegre involving 250 patients with severe obesity who are candidates for bariatric surgery.

The data is expected to support the request to Conitec by helping determine which patients could receive the drugs.

Once the commission receives a request, it has 180 days, extendable by another 90, to issue an opinion. The ministry must then formalize the treatment protocol and coordinate with states and municipalities on how the product will be funded.

In addition to the initiative being prepared by the ministry, Conitec received a request from pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in May to add Wegovy, a semaglutide-based drug, to the SUS. The proposal would cover patients with obesity who have already suffered a heart attack.

Novo Nordisk estimates that 38,598 patients could receive the treatment if the proposal is approved, at a cost of R$500 million ($97 million) to R$650 million ($130 million) a year. In 2025, Conitec rejected a request from the pharmaceutical company aimed at a broader group, arguing that adding the drug to the SUS could cost the government up to R$8 billion ($1.5 billion).