£40m pilot scheme launched to extend entry to weight-loss medicine and reduce NHS ready lists

A two-year pilot scheme is being launched to extend entry to weight reduction medicine and reduce NHS ready lists – as Rishi Sunak mentioned the brand new therapies might be a “game-changer”.

Ministers hope the £40m programme utilizing medicine like semaglutide – often known as Wegovy – will assist crack down on weight problems, scale back stress on the health service and get monetary savings in the long run.

Semaglutide “suppresses appetite by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is released after eating”, in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

This makes folks really feel full, lowering the quantity of meals they devour.

It was announced earlier this year that it could be accessible on the NHS.

NICE suggested that semaglutide ought to solely be accessible via specialist clinics, which are typically primarily based in hospitals.

Ministers need to use a number of the £40m to analysis whether or not these weight administration providers may somewhat be supplied via GPs, in the neighborhood or digitally as a way to attain extra folks.

It is run via weekly injection, and the federal government says it “can help adults living with obesity lose over 15% of their body weight when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity and behavioural support”.

The prime minister mentioned: “Obesity places enormous stress on the NHS.

“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 lists.”

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According to the federal government, obesity-related circumstances value the NHS £6.5bn a 12 months, and within the 2019/2020 interval, there have been greater than one million NHS hospital admissions the place weight problems was an element.

Boots has already indicated plans to provide the jab from its pharmacies, and personal clinics are additionally promoting appointments to assist folks get the medicine as soon as they grow to be accessible.

NICE additionally advisable that semaglutide be used for folks with a physique mass index of at the least 35 (roughly 18 and a half stone at 6ft tall) who even have a weight-related situation like diabetes or hypertension.

The drug has beforehand been permitted in America, and celebrities like Elon Musk have spoken about utilizing it.

Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are among the many unwanted side effects of semalglutide, and there may be additionally an elevated danger of gallstones, kidney failure, pancreatitis and thyroid most cancers.

There have beforehand been warnings that Novo Nordisk, the corporate that makes the Wegovy jab, may not be able to meet the demands of elevated NHS prescriptions.

In smaller doses, semaglutide is used to deal with diabetes – and docs have been nervous that some folks would possibly lose out as a consequence of provide chain disruption.

NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis mentioned: “Pharmaceutical treatments offer a new way of helping people with obesity gain a healthier weight and this new pilot will help determine if these medicines can be used safely and effectively in non-hospital settings as well as a range of other interventions we have in place.”