Would subsidising weight loss drugs make health care fairer?

Key points

• Calls are growing for the Australian government to subsidise GLP-1 medicines for people with obesity who do not have diabetes. Around half a million Australians use these medicines, and nearly half pay between $200 and $700 a month privately.
• Many users stop treatment within six months, mostly because they cannot afford it. Obesity rates are higher among socioeconomically disadvantaged people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• The authors argue that subsidies alone would not address the social and environmental factors driving obesity, so investment in affordable food and prevention is also needed.