Weightloss on afterpay: The cost of one woman's Wegovy journey

A Wegovy-user from Wellington says the benefits from losing 16kg far outweighed <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/07/05/youre-about-to-see-kiwis-losing-weight-on-wegovy-will-you-judge-them/">the stigma</a> and financial burden attached to using <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/06/22/why-weightloss-drugs-dont-work-for-some-people/">weight-loss medication.</a> Valentina Florez-Betancur, 26, was one of 35,961 <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/04/02/weight-loss-drug-wegovy-approved-for-use-in-nz/" target="_blank">GLP-1 patients in New Zealand</a> — according to Health NZ data from May this year. Florez-Betancur was on the drug's <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/07/08/weight-loss-drug-wegovy-the-pros-and-cons-explained/">highest dosage,</a> which she said cost around $469 for four weeks of use. "A lot of the times I do have to use afterpay to get my prescription." She said it was upsetting the drug wasn't funded, but — to her — the cost was worth it. "It does put a big dent in my pocket, but it has made me a healthier person." Florez-Betancur's GLP-1 health journey first began after weight gain during a period of depression, which led her to be categorised as severely <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/06/07/nz-has-a-major-growing-obesity-problem-is-wegovy-really-the-solution/">overweight</a>.