Doctors are set to prescribe a weight loss jab to NHS patients struggling with obesity in a new trial.
The government will hold a two-year pilot costing £40million. The medicines watchdog NICE approved the use of semaglutide earlier this year after finding it was safe, effective and affordable.
The drug, which is marketed as Wegovy, is injected into the skin and makes people feel fuller, leading them to eat less. The jabs have been popular in the United States where they have been used by celebrities, including Twitter owner Elon Musk.
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Evidence from clinical trials suggests people taking the drug can lose up to 15% of their body weight over a year when used alongside nutrition and lifestyle changes. In March, NICE announced that the injections would be made available to around 35,000 people using specialist weight management services in hospitals.
The new pilot will look at how this can be expanded so the jabs can be prescribed to patients by their GPs. Rishi Sunak announced the extended rollout as flew to the US last night for a two day visit.
The Prime Minister said: “Obesity puts huge pressure on the NHS. Using the latest drugs to support people to lose weight will be a game-changer by helping to tackle dangerous obesity-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer – reducing pressure on hospitals, supporting people to live healthier and longer lives, and helping to deliver on my priority to cut NHS waiting lists.”
Obesity is one of the leading causes of severe health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. It costs the NHS around £6.5billion a year. According to the government, there were more than one million admissions to hospitals in 2019/2020 when obesity was a factor.
Ministers hope that using the latest treatments to tackle obesity will contribute to cutting waiting lists by reducing the number of people who suffer from weight-related illnesses. Overweight patients tend to need more support from the NHS and in some cases end up needing operations such as gallstone removal or hip and knee replacements.
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “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."
He added: “Pharmaceutical treatments offer a new way of helping people with obesity gain a healthier weight and this new pilot will help determine if these medicines can be used safely and effectively in non-hospital settings as well as a range of other interventions we have in place.
“NHS England is already working to implement recommendations from NICE to make this new class of treatment available to patients through established specialist weight management services, subject to negotiating a secure long-term supply of the products at prices that represent value for money taxpayers.”
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