Advocates urge taxpayer-funded weight-loss drugs for women with PMOS

GLP-1 medications are prescribed off-label for the chronic hormonal condition, leaving patients with costs of several hundred dollars a month

By LineZotpaper

Published10 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources2 outlets

Australian advocates are calling for GLP-1 weight-loss medications to be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for women living with PMOS, a chronic hormonal condition formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome that affects one in eight women.

The Polyendrocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome Association of Australia (POSAA) is urging that the drugs be approved on the PBS for people with the condition, which has no cure and can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer.

Symptoms of PMOS include irregular periods, excess hair growth on the body and face, weight gain and hair thinning.

While GLP-1 drugs are not specifically approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to treat PMOS, patients are being prescribed them off-label. A University of New South Wales study published in July estimated that half a million Australians use weight-loss medications regularly.

Lorna Berry, a POSAA spokesperson diagnosed with the condition at 32, said she would welcome GLP-1s being subsidised for PMOS patients, alongside funding for evidence-based research.

"It's important for people to have access to medications, irrespective of where they live or where they were born ... it's really important that there's equitable access," she told the Guardian. Berry said some women were missing out because of the high cost, which can run to several hundred dollars each month.

Associate professor Magdalena Simonis, the women's health spokesperson for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, said the college did not currently have a position on whether GLP-1s were appropriate for managing PMOS.

"They're not necessarily the only tool we have available to us, and that is important because long-term use is expensive, and it doesn't look like these are going to be on the PBS anytime soon, and maybe not ever for conditions such as PMOS," she said. "Because traditionally women's conditions are not included in these changes."

Simonis, a GP with an expert interest in PMOS, said that if research found the medications more effective than existing treatments, a broader discussion about health equity would be needed.

GLP-1 drugs mimic a naturally occurring hormone that helps manage blood sugar levels and reduces hunger. Ozempic is listed on the PBS, but only for the treatment of diabetes. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has yet to finalise its position on the wider use of the drugs.

Analysis

Why This Matters

PMOS affects one in eight women and is a lifelong condition with no cure, linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer.
The drugs are being prescribed off-label, meaning patients face costs of several hundred dollars a month with no PBS subsidy.
The push raises broader questions about health equity for women's conditions and how Australia treats obesity as a national issue.

Background

PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a chronic hormonal condition with symptoms including irregular periods, excess hair growth, weight gain and hair thinning. GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, mimic a naturally occurring hormone that manages blood sugar and reduces hunger. In Australia, Ozempic is listed on the PBS only for diabetes, and GLP-1s are not specifically TGA-approved for PMOS, so patients receive them off-label. An estimated half a million Australians use weight-loss medications regularly, according to a University of New South Wales study from July.

Key Perspectives

POSAA and patients: The association wants GLP-1s subsidised on the PBS for PMOS patients and funding for evidence-based research, arguing for equitable access regardless of where people live or were born. Spokesperson Lorna Berry notes some women already miss out because of high monthly costs.

Royal Australasian College of Physicians: Women's health spokesperson Magdalena Simonis says the college has no current position on GLP-1s for PMOS. She cautions that the drugs are not necessarily the only tool, that long-term use is expensive, and that they may never reach the PBS for conditions such as PMOS, partly because women's conditions have traditionally been excluded from such changes.

Critics and skeptics: Simonis suggests that only if research shows GLP-1s to be more effective than existing treatments should a broader discussion about health equity follow, framing the issue partly as part of the national conversation about obesity.

What to Watch

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee's deliberations on whether to extend PBS eligibility for weight-loss medications.
New research comparing GLP-1s with existing treatments for PMOS, which advocates say is needed to build the case for subsidy.
Any movement on national obesity policy that could shift how women's health conditions are prioritised for subsidised care.

Sources

Women with PMOS should get subsidised weight-loss drugs, Australian advocates say — Australia news | The Guardian
Women with PMOS should get subsidised weight-loss drugs, Australian advocates say — World news | The Guardian