Prescribing 'King Kong' of weight-loss pills could see drugs budget jump to €10bn 

Prof Michael Barry: 'Some difficult decisions are needed.' Picture: Shane O'Neill, Coalesce

The State’s drugs budget could more than double to €10bn if a treatment known as the 'King Kong' of weight-loss drugs is approved for everyone eligible, a doctors’ conference has heard.

Some “difficult decisions” are needed about the rising costs of all new drugs as soon as next year, clinical director of the National Centre of Pharmacoeconomics Professor Michael Barry warned.