Thousands of patients could get access to weight-loss jab in £40,000,000 scheme
A ‘game-changing’ weight-loss drug could soon be available to thousands of NHS patients.
In a bid to bring down obesity levels, the government is handing the NHS £6,500,000,000 to make it easier for GPs to prescribe weight-loss medications.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), a drug watchdog, gave the green light for Wegovy for use on the NHS in March.
Now Rishi Sunak has announced a new £40,000,000 pilot scheme for the jab.
‘Obesity puts huge pressure on the NHS,’ he said.
‘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 list.’
What is Wegovy and is it safe?
Semaglutide, better known by its brand name Wegovy, is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring hormone.
The hormone plays a big part in whether someone’s brain and gut feel like they’re full.
Wegovy, manufactured by Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk, is a jab that reduces appetite and regulates blood sugar and insulin.
As an anti-obesity drug, Wegovy makes the stomach empty more slowly so a person feels fuller faster and for longer.
One study, published in the New England Journal in 2021, found that of the 2,000 participants on Wegovy rather than a placebo, they lost 15% of their body weight.
They all took Wegovy alongside diet, physical activity and behavioural support.
More than a third of participants, tested at 129 health centres in 16 countries, lost more than 20% of their weight after taking the injection weekly for 68 weeks.
This is in contrast to the 2.4% lost by those taking the placebo.
According to its website, Wegovy carries side effects which include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, tiredness, flu-like symptoms and heartburn.
Those taking the drug may have to get used to it: researchers say people might have to take it for a lifetime to prevent the weight loss from snapping back.
And it shouldn’t be the only thing people do if they want to lose weight, with experts stressing that weight-loss drugs aren’t a substitute for healthy diets and exercise.
Decades of studies have also shown that free will isn’t the be-all, end-all of obesity; powerful biological levers in people’s bodies can have massive influences on weight as well.
The trial will be largely hospital-based and see 35,000 people be prescribed Wegovy for a maximum of two years.
While the UK doesn’t have a supply of the drug, Nice says it could soon be available to tens of thousands of patients.
Until then, the pilot scheme will see GPs look out for how their patients fare as they safely prescribe Wegovy. The NHS will support participants in the community or online.
Wegovy is different from other similar medications used for weight loss such as Mounjaro, a diabetes treatment which hasn’t been approved by Nice.
‘Mounjaro is not a weight loss drug,’ the official website for the medication says.
Wegovy does also have a sister drug called Ozempic, another diabetes treatment with a similar formula at a lower dose.
Some weight-loss drugs carry heavy side effects, such as nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pain and, in rare cases, malnutrition and facial ageing.
Drusg such as Mounjaro were first designed to treat diabetes but now tend to be used in places like the US off-label for weight loss.
Around one in four adults in England are obese, according to the NHS 2021 Healthy Survey.
Health officials classify ‘obese’ as someone with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above (though, some experts have long raised their eyebrows at the measure).
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said that the goal of the pilot is to see whether Wegovy can be safely prescribed in non-hospital settings.
‘Pharmaceutical treatments offer a new way of helping people with obesity gain a healthier weight,’ he said.
It could make practical sense too, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, added.
‘Shifting some of this care safely into primary care is worth exploring as it makes sense for patients to access care within the community, where safe and appropriate,’ she said.
Though Hawthorne stressed that this must all be evidence-based, especially when it comes to the long-term health of people.
‘And sufficient availability of the drug must be ensured ahead of any roll-out, so as not to raise patients’ expectations,’ she added, ‘as there may be a significant number of people who would benefit from it.’
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