Will weight loss drug Wegovy get sick Britain back to work?

The UK has approved a £40 million pilot programme to explore how a new weight-loss drug can be given to obese patients

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the use of drugs to tackle obesity could be a 'game-changer' to ease pressure on the NHS. PA

New injectable drugs could help millions of people shed weight and get back to work and off benefits, the UK's Health Secretary has said.

On Wednesday, the UK announced it had approved a £40 million two-year pilot programme to explore how drugs, such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, can be given to obese patients outside of specialist services in hospitals.

It follows a move by the country's drug cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE to make the weekly shot available to adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35, but only within the NHS specialist weight management scheme.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the new scheme will reduce pressure on hospitals.

He said it will allow “people to live healthier and longer lives” and deliver on his “priority to cut NHS waiting lists”.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether the government aims to help millions lose weight and get people back to work and off benefits, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Yes, we think this can be hugely significant.

“We know that obesity has very severe health consequences … the impact of obesity is very, very significant on the nation's health.

“We also know that many people will have tried to lose weight, will have struggled to do so or, indeed, if they have lost weight, will have struggled to keep that weight off, so it's right that we look at a range of innovations.”

Mr Barclay said the “purpose of the pilot is to inform what its potential scope is and what its wider benefits may be”.

He added: “You're right to signal there could be potential economic benefits because economic inactivity, mental health challenge, MSK (musculoskeletal conditions), various health challenges linked to obesity obviously have an impact in terms of the labour market, in terms of staff absence.

“But that's not the criteria on which this pilot is being set; it has been set on health criteria, and that's what we're focused on.

“From that pilot, the chief medical officer, working with the chief economist in the Treasury, will be looking at what wider benefits there may be, because there could be significant benefits economically."

In the UK, around one in every four adults are obese, according to the NHS.

Obesity is associated with many health conditions, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

The NHS says the best way to treat obesity is to eat a healthy reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly.

Mr Barclay said the drugs may become available via the pilot scheme “later this year”, telling GB News: “It is part of a signal to suppliers that this is something the NHS is going to lead on.

“The funding is in place, we've been having those discussions with manufacturers.

“It is a very exciting development but it is one alongside a range of other measures that we're taking.”

Mr Barclay said there was now an “acceptance we need to use all the tools available” in tackling obesity.

He told Times Radio: “I think there's a recognition that obesity really causes health harm. Nine in 10 Type 2 diabetics are overweight, and the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking is obesity. Around a million people are admitted to hospital a year as a consequence of obesity."

Mr Barclay said the obesity drugs were “potential game changers” but they were not being given “in isolation” and would be offered alongside lifestyle and healthy eating advice.

Asked about remarks by the Duke of Sussex that the British Government has hit “rock bottom”, Health Secretary Steve Barclay told Nick Ferrari's show on LBC radio: “If you look at what we're announcing today, I think a really exciting innovation.

“What we're announcing today is that the NHS will be at the front of the queue with the very latest medicine that we're piloting to tackle obesity.

"That brings huge health benefits, and that's what we're focused on as a government: How can we innovate? How can we make sure the NHS is getting the latest drugs and tackling the big challenges, such as obesity.”

He added: “So that's what I'm focused on. How do we cut the waiting times? How do we innovate with drugs to tackle the big health challenges like obesity, and make sure that the NHS is world-leading in getting that innovative medicine to patients?

"Because there's a big health benefit if we can tackle obesity, and that's really how I'd respond to that.”