Watch: Weight loss injections planned by government to tackle obesity
Minister says injections will be offered to high BMI patients with obesity-linked conditions
The government is planning to introduce weight loss injections within the next year to help address obesity rates, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has confirmed.
Speaking on Tuesday, Abela told Times of Malta that the injections would be prescribed in specific cases, targeting patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 35 and a related health condition.
“We plan to introduce weight loss injections for patients who have a BMI of over 35 and who also have a condition or disease that is associated with obesity,” he said.
He cited examples such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, severe arthritis and sleep apnea.
Weight loss injections are prescription medications that reduce appetite and support weight management. Common examples include Wegovy and Ozempic – both semaglutides that were originally developed to treat diabetes. The drugs help people feel less hungry and eat less.
Abela acknowledged that obesity is a complex condition and said past efforts to tackle it had fallen short.
“Obesity is a very complex condition and our way of tackling it in the past was not good enough,” he said.
While describing injections as a “quick fix”, Abela stressed the need for a multi-faceted approach to address the issue.
“Weight loss injections or surgery are not the only part of the solution. There is more that governments can do.” He floated the idea of introducing a tax on sugar - an idea that has been periodically raised over the past 15 years.
The Health Minister, a surgeon by profession, had previously told parliament last year that weight-loss surgery and medication are “cornerstones” in addressing obesity.
At the time, he said he would like to see more gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy surgeries carried out locally.
A gastric bypass involves dividing the stomach into a small upper pouch and a larger lower portion, with the small intestine rearranged to connect to both. A sleeve gastrectomy removes a portion of the stomach, leaving behind a smaller, banana-shaped stomach that limits food intake and promotes weight loss.
Speaking on Tuesday, Abela said: “We want to go big on weight loss surgery.”
He also revealed that he had discussed the subject with Montenegro’s Health Minister, who was visiting Malta.
“Our strategy for obesity and our strategy for non-communicable diseases is ripe for being launched,” he added.