Czechia is examining whether health insurance should cover the medicines for severely obese children, after France became the first EU country to introduce permanent public reimbursement for modern obesity drugs for patients with severe obesity.

Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said a decision is expected by the end of the year. The reimbursement conditions are currently being determined by the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL), which is still conducting administrative proceedings.

“I see it as an investment in public health and an opportunity to reduce the drastic prevalence of obesity in the Czech Republic,” Vojtěch told reporters during the opening of Novo Nordisk’s new production facility in Central Bohemia.

Obesity in children and adolescents

More than one in five Czech adolescents is overweight or obese, and the number continues to rise, according to the latest data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study published in 2025.

The study also found a strong link between children’s perception of their own bodies and their mental health.

Ilona Hülleová, chair of the Czech Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents, said a working group at the Ministry of Health, which included paediatricians, helped prepare the proposed framework for the treatment.

“If all other options such as diet, lifestyle measures or physical activity have been exhausted, then it would be an option for such highly obese children,” she told the Czech News Agency.

Obesity is associated with numerous health complications, including osteoarthritis caused by excess body weight, as well as diabetes, heart disease and other conditions linked to hormonal, metabolic and immune system changes. Children with obesity also frequently experience low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, while overeating among adolescents is often connected to stress, school pressure or anxiety.

New facility in Czechia

The announcement was made during the opening of Novo Nordisk’s new production facility in the town of Bohumil, Central Bohemia. The Danish pharmaceutical company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of GLP-1 medicines for diabetes and obesity, including Wegovy, one of the drugs at the centre of the debate over expanding public reimbursement across Europe.

The Danish pharmaceutical company has invested more than €320 million in the site, including around €140 million to modernise the former Novavax facility after acquiring it in late 2024. Production began in June, with the plant initially manufacturing proteins used in next-generation medicines for diabetes and obesity.

According to the company, the investment will help strengthen supplies of medicines for patients worldwide while reinforcing pharmaceutical manufacturing in Europe.

“First, we will begin with clinical studies and clinical development of newer generations of products and then, of course, we will gradually increase production,” Novo Nordisk President Mike Doustdar said.

The investment comes as obesity treatment has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the global pharmaceutical industry, driven by demand for GLP-1 medicines such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. While the drugs are already available in Czechia, patients currently have to pay for them themselves, with treatment typically costing several hundred euros a month and often lasting for years or even for life.

Against that backdrop, Vojtěch said improving access to innovative treatments should go hand in hand with support for pharmaceutical research and manufacturing.

“Our priority is to ensure that investments in innovation translate into better prevention, earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment for patients,” he said, adding that research, modern technologies and access to innovative therapies are key to improving patients’ quality of life and the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.

[VA, BM]