Pharmac says neither Wegovy nor Mounjaro is publicly funded for weight loss, and it cannot say when, or if, that will change.
The agency made the point in an update on 3 November, after Medsafe approved both medicines as suitable to support weight management.
Pharmac has assessed the application to fund Wegovy (semaglutide) for weight loss and added it to its Options for Investment List.
Its Obesity Treatment Advisory Group considered the application in December 2025. It recommended Pharmac fund Wegovy for chronic weight management, in people with a high Body Mass Index (BMI) and associated comorbidities, with a high priority.
If Wegovy were funded, the group said funding rules would be needed so the medicine goes to those who would benefit most. Pharmac would use its Special Authority system, which requires a prescriber to apply for funding.
In October, Pharmac's Cardiovascular Specialist Advisory Committee reviewed two applications to fund Wegovy for people with cardiovascular disease and high BMIs. It signalled the drug should be funded with a high priority. The full meeting record is due out "in due course".
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is further back. Pharmac says it has not received an application to fund it for weight loss.
It has had one for insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes, and is assessing the costs and benefits of that.
On timing, Pharmac is blunt.
"We cannot say when, or if, any medicine will be funded," it said.
Every application goes through the standard process. Once clinical advice is in, Pharmac compares the benefit of funding a medicine against all the others it has been asked to fund. After that, it comes down to when funding is available and how the application ranks.
For now, the patient pays.
"If a health care professional prescribes Wegovy or Mounjaro for you, you will need to pay for it. Pharmac does not control this price," Pharmac said.
It suggests people ask their pharmacy what it would cost.
Two other GLP-1 agonists, the same class of medicine as semaglutide and tirzepatide, are funded for people with type 2 diabetes who meet the criteria. They are dulaglutide (Trulicity) and liraglutide (Victoza).
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are the active ingredients, while Wegovy and Mounjaro are the brand names. Pharmac says neither product is publicly funded in New Zealand.
Medsafe's job is to make sure medicines meet standards of quality, safety and effectiveness. It has approved Wegovy and Mounjaro as treatments for weight loss here, and Pharmac says it is up to each person's health care team to discuss whether either is right for them.
