Mounjaro coverage in Cyprus is changing from Thursday, October 15, with the drug being added to the Health Insurance Organisation’s official list of pharmaceutical products. The move will replace the need for new individual applications, allowing eligible patients to access treatment through the system’s standard pre-approval process.
The change applies mainly to patients with obesity and those with type 2 diabetes, although different eligibility criteria will apply to each group.
Under the new procedure, the treating doctor will submit an application that will be assessed against approved protocols and specific criteria set by the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO).
Who will qualify for Mounjaro for obesity?
The new protocol sets out two main categories of eligible patients seeking Mounjaro for obesity.
The first covers adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above.
The second applies to people with a BMI of 35 to below 40 who also have established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and/or moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea.
Relevant medical documentation and further assessments will be required as part of the approval process.
However, reimbursement will not be unlimited. HIO official Sofia Petridou told Phileleftheros that patients must meet specific weight-loss targets to continue receiving treatment.
Patients must lose at least 5% of their initial body weight during the first six months of treatment and at least 10% by the end of the first year.
Continued treatment will require a fresh assessment. The maximum reimbursement period for obesity treatment will be two years, provided patients continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
What happens to existing approvals?
Patients who have already received approval through the Committee for Individual Applications for Medicines or other competent bodies will not need to take any action at this stage.
According to Petridou, their existing approvals will remain valid. When those approvals expire, continued treatment will be assessed under the new protocol.
Applications already submitted to the Committee for Individual Applications for Medicines but still awaiting a decision will also not need to be resubmitted. The HIO will automatically transfer them for assessment under the new procedure.
Changes to Ozempic prescriptions
A revised protocol for Ozempic will also take effect on October 15, covering patients with type 2 diabetes.
Ozempic will continue to be available through private pharmacies, with electronic pre-approval required under the applicable eligibility criteria.
Mounjaro, meanwhile, will continue to be dispensed through hospital pharmacies until further notice.
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