The Health Insurance Organisation is clearing its list of General Healthcare System beneficiaries receiving diabetes injection Ozempic, aiming to restrict the drug exclusively to genuine diabetic patients through the system.
The organisation has notified doctors in relevant specialities, requesting they submit applications on behalf of their patients by 31st August 2025.
The injectable diabetes preparation has faced serious exploitation internationally and in Cyprus by individuals seeking weight loss for cosmetic reasons. Previously, doctors prescribed it beyond diabetics to people simply wanting to lose weight.
When the drug was integrated into the General Healthcare System, the Health Insurance Organisation continued providing it to all individuals with existing prescriptions to avoid creating problems for genuine patients. However, three months after the preparation’s system integration, the organisation decided to clear the patient list receiving the drug through the General Healthcare System and restrict provision strictly to diabetics only.
Since 2022, both the European Union and the Health Ministry’s Pharmaceutical Services have issued strict recommendations to doctors for prescribing Ozempic only to diabetics. Periodically, due to international drug misuse, serious shortages and inadequate supplies had emerged, endangering patients.
The Health Insurance Organisation decided that through the General Healthcare System, only diabetic beneficiaries will receive Ozempic based on a specific protocol. This practice also secures the preparation for patients who began receiving it after system integration.
In its announcement to doctors, the organisation states that from 1st September 2025, applications concerning continued therapy with pharmaceutical product Semaglutide sold under the name Ozempic will not be accepted if they concern patients who began treatment before 15th May 2025 when it was integrated into the General Healthcare System.
Consequently, treating physicians are called to submit by 31st August 2025 all requests concerning continued therapy in such cases of type II diabetes patients, if they have not already done so.
The organisation clarifies that requests concerning therapy commencement with the specific pharmaceutical product based on the organisation-approved protocol, and therapy continuation after organisation approval, remain unaffected.
The Health Insurance Organisation will continue accepting requests for therapy commencement after 1st September 2025 if cases meet approved protocol provisions, as well as therapy continuation requests if organisation approval has already been granted for treatment with the drug within the General Healthcare System, provided therapy continuation criteria are met.
Mounjaro available within General Healthcare System through nominal request for obesity
For patients with diagnosed obesity, the injectable preparation Mounjaro is available through the General Healthcare System. Currently, this drug, which targets obesity patients and diabetics, is provided following nominal request submissions by doctors to the Health Insurance Organisation’s competent Nominal Drug Request Committee.
Mounjaro is a relatively new drug manufactured alongside other similar preparations following global frenzy that led to Ozempic misuse, with the difference being it targets individuals with diagnosed obesity meeting specific criteria.
Currently, no request for Mounjaro’s General Healthcare System integration has been submitted to the Health Insurance Organisation. However, the drug is provided to patients requiring it through the nominal request procedure.
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