A diabetes drug used by Hollywood A-listers as an apparent slimming tool is to launch in Britain as a path to weight loss.
The semaglutide drug approved for weight loss is to launch in the UK in the spring and will be sold in Boots, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Semaglutide is currently only licensed in the UK to treat weight related illnesses such as diabetes, under the brand name Ozempic.
The weight loss side effects of the drug mean specialists can offer it to anyone they feel might benefit, causing ‘off-label perscribing’ and shortages for those who need it.
The drug’s manufacturer, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, said the drug will be called Wegovy and will go on the market ‘as soon as possible’.
The price of the slimming drug is not yet known but current users of Ozempic pay around £180 for a month’s supply.
The drug suppresses appetite and is injected once a week using medical pens. Users shed an average of 16 per cent of their body weight over a year.
Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, has used the drug, while Kim Kardashian is rumoured to have used semaglutide to lose 16lb to fit into a dress at the Met Gala once worn by Marilyn Monroe.
Dr David Eccleston, a private Birmingham GP specialising in fat loss, said he has truned more than 100 patients down who have requested Ozempic as a slimming treament.
He said: “No medical professional in the UK is allowed to actively promote Ozempic as a treatment for obesity because it is outside the product licence.”
Novo Nordisk also says it does not support ‘off-label prescribing’, saying: “Patient safety is our priority. All prescriptions of our products should be in line with the approved summary of product characteristics and the therapeutic indication.”
A Boots spokesman said: “Wegovy is a prescription-only weight-loss medicine that can help to regulate appetite and reduce cravings.
“It can be an effective medicine to achieve sustained weight loss when used alongside a reduced calorie diet, increased physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.”
Doctors have warned that weight loss medication such as Ozempic can result in unwanted side effects including facial ageing.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards recently hit out at critics accusing her of using Ozempic.
The 54-year-old said that she “cannot stand” people alleging that she uses Ozempic to lose weight, adding that she goes to the gym for two hours every morning.
