Some 80,000 people in the Netherlands are now being prescribed weight loss drugs such as Ozempic en Wegovy, almost double the 2024 total, according to pharmaceuticals monitoring body Stichting Farmaceutische Kengetallen.

The rise is largely due to a change in the guidelines for prescribing the drug, which used to be limited to people with diabetes, broadcaster NOS reported on Thursday.

Weight loss drugs are no quick fix, Erasmus medical centre professor Liesbeth van Rossum told broadcaster NOS on Thursday.

“You really have to change your livestyle and this is an extra helping hand,” she said. “You should look at it like an electric bike. You have to use the pedals but it is made easier for your body.”

Weight-loss drugs in the Netherlands are currently only covered by insurance for individuals with a body mass index of at least 35 and type II diabetes, and thousands of people are currently paying for the drug themselves.

However, in a government backed survey earlier this year, 90% of respondents said weight loss drugs should be included in the basic insurance package.

Some seven million people in the Netherlands are currently overweight, of whom 14% are obese.