Australian advocates urge subsidised weight-loss drugs for women with PMOS

Advocates in Australia are calling for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the national medicine subsidy system, for women with PMOS. The Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome Association of Australia (POSAA) leads the push. PMOS is a chronic hormonal condition formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, and it affects one in eight women. The issue matters because the drugs are costly and some patients cannot afford them.

The condition and the drugs

Symptoms can include irregular periods, excess hair growth on the body and face, weight gain and hair thinning. The condition is lifelong and has no cure. It raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer.

GLP-1 drugs mimic a natural hormone that helps manage blood sugar and reduces hunger. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has not approved them specifically for PMOS, but patients are being prescribed them off-label. A University of New South Wales study found in July that an estimated half a million Australians regularly use weight-loss medications.

Differing views

Lorna Berry, a POSAA spokesperson who was diagnosed at 32, stressed equitable access. She said some women are already missing out because of the cost, which can reach several hundred dollars a month.

Associate professor Magdalena Simonis, women's health spokesperson for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, said the college has no position yet on GLP-1s for PMOS. She said they are not the only tool available and may never be subsidised for conditions like PMOS, because women's conditions are traditionally not included in such changes.

The organisation QENDO said interest in the drugs is growing, but more research is needed on their long-term effectiveness and safety for PMOS.

The Wegovy decision

Ozempic is listed on the PBS, but only for diabetes. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended last November that Wegovy be subsidised for people with a body mass index above 35. Next month the committee will consider drugmaker Novo Nordisk's revised proposal to list Wegovy for obesity.