HSE spent over €500k a day last year on weight-loss jabs for patients on free drugs schemes

A spokesman for the HSE said processes are underway that will ultimately decide whether other weight-loss medications such as Mounjaro and Wegovy will be reimbursed under the free drugs schemes. File photo

The HSE has spent more than €200 million on Ozempic and similar weight-loss jabs in less than three years, with 80,000 patients getting the medication on free drugs schemes in 2025.

The number of people availing of the injections at taxpayers’ expense has increased by a third since 2023, with the HSE spending an average of €580,000 every day on the jabs last year.