Thousands more Brits to get Wegovy weight-loss jabs on NHS – are you eligible?
FAT loss drugs will soon be available outside hospitals as ministers declare war on obesity.
Patients with both a BMI over 35 and a weight-related condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure, will receive Wegovy in a two-year pilot.
Currently, the drug is available only via weight loss services in hospitals.
But, as part of ministers’ £40million scheme, GPs could be allowed to prescribe it.
It means tens of thousands more patients will have access to Semaglutide, sold under the name Wegovy, which can reduce body weight by 15 per cent.
Obesity costs the NHS £6.5billion a year and piles "huge pressure" on hospitals, Rishi Sunak said.
But the cutting-edge drug could be a "game-changer" by helping to tackle dangerous obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, the PM added.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: "The next generation of obesity drugs have the potential to help people lose significant amounts of weight."
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis added: “Tackling obesity is a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan.
"It can have devastating consequences for the nation’s health, leading to serious health conditions and some common cancers as well as resulting in significant pressure on NHS services.”
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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) gave approval for the use of the appetite suppressant earlier this year, but said it should only be available through specialist services.
The Government said that would mean only around 35,000 people having access to the treatment, when tens of thousands more could be eligible under the criteria of having a BMI of at least 35 and one weight-related condition.
The ones that allow people to qualify include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia (unbalanced or unhealthy cholesterol levels), obstructive sleep apnoea, and heart disease.
The weight-loss injection increases levels of incretins - a hormone - which helps the body produce more insulin when needed and reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
It also suppresses users' appetites - mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which is usually released after eating.
As the medication makes people feel full, they tend to eat less and lose weight as a result.
It is popular with celebrities - Twitter and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk has said he uses it to stay in shape.
The government's two-year pilot will now explore how the approved drug can be made available to more people by expanding specialist weight management services outside hospitals.
GPs will prescribe the pre-filled pen devices, which can then be picked up in high street chemists.
The Royal College of Physicians welcomed the pilot.
Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam, academic vice president, said: "This is a very welcome and much needed investment.
"Obesity costs the NHS £6.5bn, but more importantly it costs people their health.
"These drugs must be provided in a way that reduces health inequalities, protects patient safety and helps to reduce the pressure on an already overstretched workforce."
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Wegovy was approved for NHS use after research suggested users could shed more than 10 per cent of their body weight.
Similar injections, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, which work in a similar way but are designed to treat diabetes, have not yet been approved on the NHS specifically for weight loss.
What is semaglutide?
SEMAGLUTIDE, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, is a drug originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes and as an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management.
The weekly injection works by suppressing the appetite - mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which is usually released after eating.
As a result patients feel fuller for longer, and reduce the number of calories they eat.
Side effects can include sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Other rare complications include gallbladder problems, kidney failure, serious allergic reaction and depression.
A study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found nausea and diarrhoea were the most common side effects.
But these were "typically transient and mild-to-moderate in severity and subsided with time", researchers said.
Alongside the side effects, some charities have warned the drug could be dangerous for people at risk of developing disorders.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidance says the drug should only be offered to obese adults with at least one weight-related condition and a BMI of at least 35.
The weight-related conditions include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, unbalanced or unhealthy cholesterol levels, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease.