Whether to fully subsidise the new generation weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic for obese Australians without diabetes represents one of the most unique and challenging decisions in years for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

They are collectively known as GLP-1 agonists, and no other class of medications has gained such a foothold in the private market before being funded under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Nor has there been such publicity and indeed controversy around how a medication should be used to treat a complex and often socially determined medical issue.