More than 200 doctors and specialists are calling for an urgent review to ensure that weight loss injections, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, are available on the NHS in England. The call for a review comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that such injections could help to boost the country’s economy by enabling obese individuals to return to work. In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), which represents health charities and medical royal colleges, says the injections could help, but are only part of a wider package of care needed to tackle the nation’s increasing rate of obesity.
The OHA identifies several fundamental issues which need to be fixed in the NHS’ obesity services, including chronic underfunding, workforce challenges, and an unequal access to care. The Alliance claims that the UK, under the current NHS, simply does not have the resources to cope with the unprecedented demand caused by obesity. Waiting lists for specialist support for some patients can be up to five years, and some services have even had to close their waitlists. OHA also wants to see equitable access for obesity treatments, including weight loss injections.
The organisation estimates that around four million people in England could be eligible for weight loss injections, but NHS projections estimate that by 2028, fewer than 50,000 people a year will receive treatment. The following approval for the NHS to use Mounjaro, another type of injection described by some as the “King Kong” of weight loss jabs due to its effectiveness in trials, is anticipated to increase pressure on the system further. Alfie Slade, government affairs lead at the OHA, said: “Without urgent government intervention, we will fail to meet the needs of millions of patients, leading to greater health inequalities.”
Health experts are warning that while injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, which mimic hormones that reduce hunger, are a step forward in treating obesity, they are not a silver bullet. People still need to watch their diets and exercise when they take the drugs. Additionally, like any medicine, there can be side effects, and doctors are seeing a concerning rise in patients with complications from online weight loss drugs. The OHA argues that supplementing weight loss injections with weight management services and exercise programs should be part of a comprehensive, healthy-lifestyle solution to address the growing problem of obesity in the UK.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said obesity-related illnesses cost the NHS over £11bn annually and put a significant burden on the UK’s economy. The spokesperson added that junk food advertising restrictions and a ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children would help to tackle the obesity crisis.
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