Anti-obesity drugs: prescription extended to all doctors in France

The French National Medicines Agency (ANSM) announced on Friday, June 20, 2025, that any doctor will be able to prescribe, for initiation or renewal, the GLP-1 drugs Wegovy (semaglutide), Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Saxenda (liraglutide) to treat obesity , as of June 23 .

"This measure aims to facilitate more equitable access to these treatments, available only on prescription ," the ANSM explains in a press release.

Until now, the initial prescription of these drugs had to be made by a doctor specializing in endocrinology-diabetology-nutrition, but renewals could be made by any doctor.

The health authority had warned at the end of May that it was considering broadening the conditions for prescribing and dispensing these highly sought-after drugs, from the class of GLP-1 analogues, which promote weight loss (at least 15% for Wegovy and around 20% for Mounjaro), by imitating a digestive hormone that sends a signal of satiety to the brain after ingesting food.

"Sometimes significant delays"

In its press release, it said it had noted that "limiting the initial prescription to doctors specializing in endocrinology-diabetology-nutrition or those competent in nutrition may have hindered access for certain patients, due to sometimes significant delays in consulting a specialist."

These drugs are second-line treatments, meaning that they should only be prescribed "in the event of failure of nutritional management, and in combination with a low-calorie diet and physical activity" , recalls the ANSM.

Obesity affects 8 million French people and can cause numerous health problems.

Wegovy from the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro from its American competitor Eli Lilly have been marketed without reimbursement in France since 2024.

Saxenda (Novo Nordisk) has been available at full cost to patients since 2021.

Refund requests

"These drugs offer us a revolution in treating patients, but with the right initial support for eating disorders and emotional eating," emphasized nutrition professor (APHP), Judith Aron, during a conference on Tuesday at the Ministry of Health.

"It is possible to improve things through multidisciplinary and multimodal care," she insisted, but "is it necessary to treat early with medication? I don't have the answer to that."

Danish insulin champion Novo Nordisk has submitted a new reimbursement application for Wegovy to the French National Authority for Health (HAS) based on new data.

Its competitor Eli Lilly (Mounjaro), which also submitted a new application for reimbursement to the HAS in April, told AFP that it would wait for the application to be assessed "in the coming months" before negotiating a reimbursement price.

In the meantime, the two pharmaceutical giants repeatedly insist that they are "able to meet demand" and "supply the French market and beyond."

"Sometimes serious side effects"

GLP-1 type anti-obesity drugs should "not be used for weight loss for cosmetic purposes, that is, for weight loss in people who are not overweight or obese and who do not have health problems related to being overweight" because these inappropriate uses can expose people to "sometimes serious adverse effects," insists the ANSM.

The slimming properties of GLP-1, originally designed to treat diabetes , are being touted by celebrities and influencers on social media, creating a real craze for these drugs, seen by the public as the most effective way to quickly lose a few pounds.

"My fear, in terms of effectiveness and relevance, is that we will also have to learn to resist societal pressure," declared Pierre-Louis Druais, general practitioner and vice-president of the HAS recommendations committee, during the conference on Tuesday.

The agency thus maintains "high vigilance on the use of these drugs and reinforced and continuous monitoring of the risks associated with aGLP-1".