Weight-loss drugs will be offered to millions of people on the NHS, to help them manage their health. One jab, Wegovy, is already available to some people and a second, Mounjaro, will soon be available – although it could be more than a decade before it is fully rolled-out.
NHS experts have warned that services are overstretched trying to deal with unprecedented demand from patients wanting to try weight-loss drugs.
There are two drugs on the market – semaglutide, marketed under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro. Both Wegovy and Mounjaro are given as weekly injections via pre-filled pens that can be self-administered into the upper arm, thigh or stomach. They work as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
People taking these drugs typically start to lose weight within a few weeks. Clinical trials suggest that – when combined with changes to their diet, exercise and behavioural support – Wegovy users could lose more than 10% of their body weight after a year on the treatment. Other trials suggest Mounjaro users might lose even more.
At the moment, only Wegovy is available on the NHS in England, Wales and Scotland. It must be prescribed by a weight management specialist, and access to these is restricted. To qualify, adults must be obese and have at least one pre-existing weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Mounjaro should also be offered to NHS patients in England from March 2025. This would be alongside advice on diet and exercise.
Separately the government has already announced plans to offer weight loss jabs to unemployed people in England living with obesity.
Wegovy and Mounjaro can both be bought privately, including at some supermarkets, chemists and high-street clinics. Pens typically cost between £200 and £300, depending on the dose.
The most common side-effects are feeling sick, vomiting, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. Some people report hair loss. For many the side-effects are manageable and tend to go away in time; others say they stopped taking the drugs because of them.
In rare cases, serious side-effects can include gallbladder and kidney problems and depression. Experts warn the complications can be worse if the drugs are abused, for example, taken as a quick fix to lose a few pounds or bought from unregulated online sellers.
Research suggests people do put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drugs, as their normal food cravings return. That is why experts recommend that patients improve their diet and increase the amount of exercise they take while on the treatment.
The term obese describes a person who has excess body fat. In the UK it’s estimated that around one in every four adults is obese. The standard way of categorising people’s weight is by calculating their body mass index, or BMI, which means dividing an adult’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres.
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