Weight-loss jabs offered to over a million NHS patients for first time

Weight-loss jabs offered to over a million NHS patients for first time
Weight-loss jabs offered to over a million NHS patients for first time

Weight-loss jabs will be rolled out across the NHS for the first time in an effort to tackle obesity.

Health officials have announced plans to offer injections of Mounjaro – the most effective on the market – to 1.6 million people.

NHS England proposed that the jabs should first go to those likely to achieve the greatest clinical benefit.

This means that they will first be offered to the most obese people, with the most health conditions.

Over the next three years they would be offered to almost a quarter of a million people with a BMI of 40 or more, plus other health conditions.

The phased rollout would see 1.6 million people offered the jabs over 12 years, including those with a BMI of 35 or more, and weight-related health problems.

‘King Kong’

Mounjaro has been dubbed the “King Kong” of slimming jabs because of its powerful impact.

Officials said prescriptions may be issued via “virtual clinics” rather than face-to-face consultations, to make it quicker and more convenient to access services.

The new class of medicines have been hailed as “game-changing” – having been found to cut heart deaths by a fifth, with research suggesting that it could turn back the clock on a host of diseases.

However, there have been concerns that slim young girls have ended up in A&E suffering deadly complications, after obtaining medicine by providing false information to online clinics.

The proposals for the rollout would see the scheme reviewed after three years, before a wider expansion.

The proposals are now subject to a three-week consultation.

In recent weeks Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, have promised a raft of nanny state interventions to prevent ill-health and tackle obesity.

Ministers have been far more cautious about the part to be played by weight loss injections.

Just before the election, Mr Streeting called for tighter regulation of the sector, saying he was “terrified” that someone would die from misuse of the drugs.

Until now, the use of injections such as semaglutide and tirzepatide has been heavily restricted on the NHS, and only offered to patients via specialist clinics.

The new proposals would mean patients are offered them via digital apps and services based in the community.

In recent years, a raft of injections have been licensed that have phenomenal effects on weight loss, but the majority are purchased privately.

The best-known is semaglutide, which was first licensed as Ozempic for treatment of Type 2 diabetes, and later as Wegovy for weight loss.

A second drug, tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, is used for both conditions and has been found to achieve even better weight loss results.

On average, patients lost more than a fifth of their bodyweight in eight months during a major trial.

Health officials said the scale of the rollout was “unprecedented”, with new ways of delivering obesity medicines, including digital services, needing to be established to allow a more rapid expansion.

Final guidance is due later this year.

Dr Sam Roberts, the chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), said: “This new generation of weight loss medications has the potential to achieve important health and wellbeing benefits for people living with obesity. They can also prevent serious health problems from developing, reducing the long-term risks to individuals.

“Our independent committee found this medicine to be both effective and good value for money. Its use will help people living with obesity to lose weight, and as a result substantially reduce the risk that they will develop serious health-related problems associated with obesity such as heart disease and stroke.

“Because of the very large number of people who could potentially benefit, Nice accepts that a phased roll out is required. However, we now need to hear from stakeholders on the proposals we have received from NHS England.”

Two in three adults in England are overweight or obese, with obesity now the second most common cause of preventable death after smoking.

Estimates show that obesity is costing the NHS £11.4 billion per year.

Health officials said the injections would be offered as part of a “wraparound package including diet and exercise support”, with help from psychologists, dieticians and physical activity instructors.

‘Powerful part of our arsenal’

Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, said: “This drug will be a powerful part of our arsenal to tackle obesity and support many more people to lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke, and this phased rollout will ensure those with the greatest clinical need can access it as a priority – with a quarter of a million people able to benefit over the first three years – while we develop new and innovative services through which other weight loss treatments can also be delivered.

“With the sheer number of people potentially eligible for these treatments and GP teams already delivering record numbers of appointments, the NHS is developing a range of community-based and digital services to provide the benefits of weight loss drugs while continuing to ensure GPs can deliver all other vital services patients rely on.”

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said the rollout of the drugs to those who need them the most would help to “tackle the obesity crisis head on”.

He added: “Where needed, these obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in real need. However, we have to be cautious and recognise these drugs are not a replacement for a good diet and exercise. “

Tirzepatide (also known as Mounjaro and made by Eli Lilly) has been shown in clinical trials to be more effective than diet and exercise support alone, and when compared with semaglutide alongside diet and exercise support. On average, patients lost 20.9 per cent of their bodyweight in 36 weeks during the Surmont-4 trial.

An independent Nice committee recommended the weekly injection, costing £122 per month at its maximum 15mg dose list price, for obese patients, in draft guidance issued in June.

Under the new proposals, the injections would only be offered to those with a BMI of 40 or more in the first three years.

The injections would be offered first to those with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 kg/m2 and at least three of the specified weight-related health problems: hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, or cardiovascular disease.

It would then be offered to those with a BMI of more than 40 plus two weight-related health problems and then to people with a BMI of more than 40 plus one weight-related health problem.

Over the next nine years, they would be increasingly offered to those with a BMI of at least 35, plus weight-related health problems.