I’m a GP – here’s how NHS Wegovy weight-loss jabs can help you shed pounds
A WEIGHT busting jab used by your fav celebs is coming to GP surgeries near you.
The drug, called Wegovy, will be offered to patients with both a BMI over 35 and a weight-related condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure as part of a two-year pilot.
Currently, the drug is available only via weight loss services in hospitals.
But, as part of ministers’ £40million scheme, GPs in England could be allowed to prescribe the pre-filled pen devices, which can then be picked up in high street chemists.
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.
How do these new medicines really work?
According to Dr Zoe Watson, a London GP and the founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, these jabs work by mimicking an appetite regulating hormone your naturally produces – called glucagon- like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight,” she previously told The Sun.
“And they can be very effective when used in conjunction with lifestyle changes including diet and exercise,” she added.
It is popular with celebrities – Twitter and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk has said he uses it to stay in shape.
And is also rumoured to have helped Kim Kardashian fit into her Marilyn Monroe dress for last year’s Met Gala.
Are they safe
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
And Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, adds: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other rare complications include gallbladder problems, kidney failure, serious allergic reaction and depression.
Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at eating disorders charity, Beat told The Sun: “These medications can be very attractive to people as they seemingly offer a ‘quick fix’ solution.
“There is a very high risk of making those with eating disorders even more unwell and it is vital people are aware of the dangers of abusing medication in order to lose weight.”
Like all prescription drugs, Wegovy will be subject to strict measures to reduce the risk of misuse.
Media coverage and the social media storm has already triggered a global shortage of the drug, leaving people with type 2 diabetes to go without.
Black market listings offer similar drug Ozempic – designed for diabetics but hailed by celebs as a quick-fix for shedding pounds – were being flogged for as little as £70 on Facebook.
Wegovy was also being sold on social media, targeted at those wanting to slim down.
Despite the fears, Dr Zoe believes pros outweigh the cons.
She said: “It is extremely important not to create a stigma and controversy around this highly effective weight-loss management drug because of a handful of celebrities.
“It is not the medication that is controversial, it is the celebrities who definitely don’t have obesity using it.”
Professor David Strain, of the British Medical Association (BMA) always welcomed the new pilot.
He said: “Obesity, and the conditions associated with it, can be devastating for people living with it and adds significant pressure to the NHS so the introduction of this pilot scheme is a welcome step forward in looking at new ways to tackle the issue.”
He added: “It essential that this funding does not come at the expense of upstream preventative strategies, such as delivering on the long-delayed existing policy commitments around junk food advertising on pre-watershed TV and online.
“The Government must create the opportunities for everyone, particularly our children, to be able to eat healthily and have access to open spaces for recreation.”