A decision to prescribe taxpayer-funded Ozempic weight-loss injections to triple murderer Erin Patterson while she is incarcerated has sparked significant public outrage in Australia. Patterson, 51, is serving a minimum 33-year sentence at Melbourne's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre for the deaths of her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, who consumed death cap mushrooms in beef Wellingtons at Patterson's home in July 2023. Patterson was also convicted of attempted murder for sickening Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson.
The reports emerged Tuesday morning, indicating Patterson was approved for Ozempic reportedly due to her isolation and inability to exercise in the maximum-security prison where she is held for at least 22 hours a day in solitary confinement. A prison source expressed dismay, telling the Herald Sun that "staff safety is a huge concern, yet management appear more concerned about the weight of a convicted killer."
Australian actress Madeleine West voiced public anger, captioning a news report screenshot, "This is Australia. While Australian families are doing it tough, convicted murderers are getting taxpayer-funded cosmetic medication." Adelaide radio hosts Will Goodings and Stacey Lee of 5AA echoed this sentiment, with Goodings stating, "There is a foolproof way to avoid having to deal with inhuman and unhealthy conditions in prison and that's by not killing people." Lee questioned the decision, adding, "I don't know of any other taxpayer who gets free Ozempic. Why are they being given privileges when others are not?"
Patterson's trial revealed her history of binge eating and body image issues. She has appealed her conviction on seven grounds, arguing a miscarriage of justice, while the Director of Public Prosecutions has appealed the sentence length, seeking a full life sentence.
The cost of Ozempic is approximately $134 per month, but it is subsidized under Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for eligible patients with type 2 diabetes, reducing the cost to $25. The Department of Justice and Community Safety stated that inmate access to such medications is based on medical advice and prescribed only when there is a "clear medical need – like preventing serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes."
This is not the first instance of a convicted murderer receiving Ozempic in prison. Alicia Schiller, serving 16 years for a 2014 murder, has also been prescribed the drug after gaining weight in prison. Her victim's mother described the situation as "absolutely ridiculous" and a waste of taxpayer money. Minister Nick Staikos has previously defended the use of such drugs for inmates, stating that "prevention and preventing serious illness, actually will save the taxpayer in the long run."