A breakthrough drug that can help obese patients lose 15% of their body weight is now available on the NHS.
A weekly injection of Wegovy could slash risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Wegovy is a brand name for the drug semaglutide. It is also known as Ozempic when used at a lower dose for type 2 diabetes. It suppresses appetite by mimicking a hormone released after eating.
Manufacturer Novo Nordisk said the drug’s UK launch was “limited” due to high global demand. Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: “I think it’s wonderful that it’s now available but it has got to be very tightly controlled. People should not be abusing it who don’t need it.”
Dr Stephen Lawrence, of Warwick University, said there were also socioeconomic and psychological factors to obesity. He said: “The issue of obesity is not just a pharmacological one.” NICE said the drug should go to the most obese patients, with at least one linked health problem.
Wegovy suppresses the appetite (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)It will be prescribed by specialist NHS weight management services. The NHS said 50,000 patients in England could be eligible. The 2021 Health Survey for England found 26 per cent of people were obese and a further 38 per cent overweight. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said Wegovy should be offered to thousands with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35kg/m2 - the upper end of the obese range - and at least one linked health problem.
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People with a lower BMI above 30kg/m2 who qualify for specialist care may also be eligible. Experts have “waited 25” years for drugs like semaglutide, Mr Fry claimed. But he warned that the long-term benefits remained to be seen. The drug can only be prescribed for two years and will then need to maintain their weight loss.
Wegovy is also available privately, with one online pharmacy selling a month’s supply for £199. The NHS rollout is part of a £40 million pilot to expand access to weight loss jabs, announced by Rishi Sunak in June. Semaglutide has been praised by celebrities for aiding weight loss.
Mr Fry said the drug should only be used under supervision and by those who need it most. He added: ““I have always felt very uncomfortable at the way that people who simply want to lose a few pounds, like Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian, are able to get hold of it because they’re rich.”
This new generation of jabs offer a “fantastic opportunity” to ease pressure on the NHS from weight-related conditions, Dr Lawrence said. Helping people shed pounds will cut their risk of a raft of serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer. And Dr Lawrence rejected the suggestion from some doctors that weight loss drugs are a lazy way to lose weight.
He said: “There will be some doom-sayers who say obese people should not have these drugs because they have just made the wrong lifestyle decisions and obesity is a choice. They are short-sighted, they should wake up and smell the roses. Overweight and obesity are clinical terms and we need to move away from that blame culture.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “Despite global supply constraints, NHS England is taking action to begin implementing NICE guidance for weight management, while at the same time working to restore supplies of this class of drug for people with type 2 diabetes. “Around 50,000 eligible patients in England could be prescribed Wegovy through NHS specialist weight management services that are able to provide appropriate multidisciplinary care.”
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