Ozempic competitor Mounjaro to soon hit Dutch market
After Wegovy and Ozempic by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, Netherlands residents will soon also have access to another weight loss injection. Mounjaro by American pharmaceutical Eli Lilly is set to hit the market in November, De Telegraaf reports.
Eli Lily has invested massively into expanding its production and now has the capacity to supply the Dutch market, Ilya Yuffa, the head of the pharmaceutical company’s international activities, told the newspaper.
Dutch health insurers will reimburse Mounjaro if it is prescribed for obesity, but people who want to use the drug for less severe weight loss will have to pay for it themselves for the time being. “We are going to consult with health insurers to convince them of the benefits of the slimming drug, to persuade them to reimburse. I cannot say anything about the price yet,” Yuffa said.
The pharmaceutical company is not concerned about competition with Novo Nordisk, which already has a foothold in the Dutch market with Wegovy and Ozempic. “We are happy with the competition because it helps innovation in slimming drugs. We strengthen each other in creating awareness about the benefits that the drugs offer.”
Eli Lilly is also looking to introduce its Alzheimer’s drug, which was recently approved in the U.S. and Japan, to the European market. “Our phase 3 study shows that the drug significantly slows cognitive decline. Science supports our view that the benefits far outweigh the side effects.”
The pharmaceutical is currently awaiting approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for this drug. “We are trying to convince the EMA that our drug has benefits for patients with early-stage or mild Alzheimer’s,” Yuffa said. “We are concerned if the EU lags behind and no treatment for Alzheimer’s becomes available.”
