What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted semaglutide for use alongside diet and exercise to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, or heart attack in adults who are overweight or obese (have a body mass index (BMI), of 27 kg/m2 or more) and have cardiovascular disease.
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of semaglutide by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2872).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
Semaglutide for use as described above is available for prescribing on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional can discuss with you if it is the right treatment for you.
You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment here: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me?
More about SMC’s decision
SMC’s decision takes into account a confidential discount offered by the pharmaceutical company.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- The potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisation below can provide more information and support for people who are overweight and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
All About Obesity
https://allaboutobesity.org
You can find out more about: semaglutide (brand name: Wegovy®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website.
https://products.mhra.gov.uk/