France to become the first country in Europe to reimburse weight-loss drugs

Published on 28/05/2026 - 16:41 GMT+2

France will start to reimburse weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro starting 15 June, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Thursday.

With this move, France becomes the first country in Europe to cover the costs of these types of drugs.

“I am quite proud, because we are the first country in the European Union to provide reimbursement under standard coverage, on a permanent basis,” Rist said on French television.

“Officially, reimbursement will be set at 65%, but virtually all patients will be fully covered because they have comorbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes,” the minister specified, adding that for the vast majority it will be reimbursed at 100%.

Wegovy, produced by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro are among a new generation of weight-loss drugs.

Known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, they help people lose weight by mimicking a hormone that reduces their appetite.

As of late January, more than 70,000 patients were being treated with Mounjaro in France, according to estimates.

High prices have been a longstanding problem for access all over the world, including France, where patients pay around €300 a month for the injections.

The therapy has been available in France by prescription since 2024, but has not been approved for reimbursement by the national health insurance system until now.

In June 2025, the country allowed all doctors, rather than just specialists such as endocrinologists, to prescribe such drugs.

According to the 2024 National Epidemiological Survey on Overweight and Obesity, around 18% of the French population, approximately 10 million people, are obese.

In the EU, it is estimated that 51% of the population aged 16 and above are overweight and 17% are obese, according to data from the European Parliament.