One obesity specialist says a new weight loss drug has the potential to 'revolutionise weight management'.
Studies show a weekly prescription injection of Wegovy can reduce body fat weight by up to one-fifth over the course of a year.
The drug has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Wegovy is available as pre-filled pens, and is injected once a week under the skin.
The weekly dose starts at 0.25mg and increases gradually over 16 weeks to 2.4mg - patients can administer it themselves.
The EMA says the active substance - semaglutide - appears to regulate appetite by increasing a person's feelings of fullness, while reducing their food intake, hunger and cravings.
Dr Mick Crotty, GP and obesity specialist at the My Best Weight clinic, told Pat Kenny the narrative has to change.
"We know that this is a medical issue, it's not something that people choose, it's not a character flaw.
"The genetics - we know that somewhere between 40% and 70% of our risk of struggling with weight is genetically conferred.
"And these genetics codes for what's going on in subconscious parts of our brain that we can't regulate.
"So our hunger levels, our fullness levels, the reward and chemical reaction to food is all going on in the subconscious brain and we can't change that.
"Telling somebody who's living with excess weight to eat less and move more, long-term... is like telling somebody with depression to just cheer up or telling somebody with asthma to just stop coughing.
"It's an over-simplification and long-term it's not an effective treatment".
'One of the biggest challenges'
He says while bariatric surgery works, these drugs may be able to mimic that procedure.
"One of the main mechanisms how bariatric surgery works is - whether it be gastric sleeve or gastric by-pass - is actually through changing the hormonal regulation of appetite.
"In the same way that surgery works to change those hormones that make us feel hungry and make us feel satisfied after food, that's a similar mechanism to how these newer medications that are coming out that are really going to revolutionise weight management.
"Treating the biological drive, treating the parts of the brain we can't control to turn down the volume on our drive towards food".
But he says the costs are still unclear.
"We don't know what the cost point is going to be, that's one of the biggest challenges.
"These medications are not reimbursed by Medical Card or Drug Payment Scheme or Long-Term Illness.
"So people are paying out of pocket.
"This is one of the big issues: the HSE and the Department of Health need to fund and reimburse these medications so they can be available.
"You wouldn't have a blood pressure tablet that's not available to be reimbursed".
