As of three years ago, nearly a quarter of Estonians were obese. Studies show that semaglutide treatment and bariatric surgery help with weight loss better than lifestyle changes. However, medications containing semaglutide are currently too expensive in Estonia.
Losing weight is difficult. Many people want to lose weight, but it is biologically challenging. In Estonia, in 2022, 33% of people aged 16–64 were overweight and 21% were obese. Lifestyle changes help in the short term, but their effect wears off quickly.
Medications based on semaglutide have entered the market in recent years. They help effectively reduce weight. However, a study by the University of Tartu showed that the use of semaglutide in Estonia is not cost-effective.
Semaglutide is the first medication that significantly helps with weight loss. However, it certainly does not make people healthy. The cost-effectiveness of the medication means that the cost of an additional quality-adjusted life year would be acceptable to society.
In Estonia, the threshold for chronic diseases is 20,000 euros. In the case of semaglutide, it was over 32,000 euros. Therefore, the medication is not cost-effective in Estonia. Lowering the price of the medication could make it cost-effective, but it would still be too expensive.
The report recommends starting to use semaglutide for patients with the highest risk. In that case, the treatment would be cost-effective. Bariatric surgery helps few people because it is a complicated procedure.
The best approach would be to prevent obesity starting from childhood. Healthy eating and physical activity would help solve the problem.