Dutch spending on diabetes meds jumped 76% in 4 years, largely due to "Ozempic effect"

Spending on diabetes medication in the Netherlands has increased by a staggering 76 percent between 2020 and 2024. New users of semaglutide medicines like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are responsible for a large part of the cost increase, the Telegraaf reports based on an Independer analysis.

The comparison site analyzed figures provided by the Dutch Healthcare Institute and Vetkis. It found that health insurers’ spending on diabetes medication rose from €233 million in 2020 to almost €411 million in 2024, an increase of 76 percent. Costs for type 2 diabetes medication accounted for the bulk of this increase, rising from €86 million in 2020 to €287 million last year.

A significant portion of that increase is due to the growing use of semaglutide medications, of which Ozempic is the best known. Approximately €90 million of the total cost increase came from over 90,000 new semaglutide medication users.

“Almost half of the increase is due to the Ozempic effect,” Bas Knopperts, a health insurance expert at Independer, told the newspaper. “It’s popularly known as a weight-loss drug, but it’s primarily intended for people with type 2 diabetes.” In the same period, the spending on insulin, which is primarily used by people with type 1 diabetes, decreased by over 15 percent.

While Ozempic and other semaglutide medications have proven effective in treating obesity, Dutch insurers don’t yet cover semaglutide medications for this use. The National Health Care Institute is currently investigating whether to add Wegovy and Mounajro to the basic health insurance package for people with severe obesity. If that happens, health insurers’ costs are expected to rise significantly.