British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a two-year pilot scheme to reduce pressures on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) which will see general practitioners (GPs) prescribe “game-changer” anti-obesity drugs to patients with at least one weight-related health condition.
The British Indian leader, whose father Yashvir is a retired GP, said obesity puts additional pressure on the NHS and helping people lose weight would help cut waiting lists for access to procedures in the health service.
Under the GBP 40-million two-year pilot scheme, the NHS will explore how approved drugs can be made safely available to more people by expanding specialist weight management services outside of hospital settings.
“Obesity puts huge pressure on the NHS,” said Sunak.
“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,” he said.
According to NHS data, obesity is one of the leading causes of severe health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer and costs the health service GBP 6.5 billion a year.
Earlier this year, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended the use of Semaglutide (Wegovy) for adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 35 and one weight-related health condition – such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Other drugs are also under consideration in clinical trials, which had indicated that when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity and behavioural support, people taking a weight-loss drug can lose up to 15 per cent of their body weight after one year.
Taking them alongside diet, physical activity and behavioural support can help people lose weight within the first month of treatment, experts said.
“This next generation of obesity drugs has the potential to help people lose significant amounts of weight when prescribed with exercise, diet and behavioural support. Tackling obesity will help to reduce pressure on the NHS and cut waiting times, one of the government’s five priorities, and this pilot will help people live longer, healthier lives,” said UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
His department claims there were more than one million admissions to NHS hospitals in 2019-2020 where obesity was a factor.