An obesity drug which can lower body weight by 3 to 4 stone in a year has been approved for patient use.
The drug, Wegovy, has been approved in all EU countries, and is delivered by weekly injection.
The weight loss is however only sustained if the drug is continued in the long term.
More than a million people in Ireland are obese and the condition is contributing to an increase in the development of type 2 diabetes, affecting 200,000 people.
There are currently long waiting lists for patients needing bariatric surgery to treat obesity.
The patients who are recommended Wegovy must continue to take the drug long term to maintain weight loss.
The HSE will have to assess its cost effectiveness before a decision is made on whether to make it free to medical card holders or subsided under its drugs schemes for private patients.
