Unemployed people with obesity could receive weight-loss jabs as part of a new trial, the health secretary has announced.
The trial will examine the impact of weight loss drugs on reducing worklessness.
In an opinion piece for The Telegraph, Wes Streeting said illnesses caused by obesity can lead to an extra four sick days a year, with others forced out of work entirely.
As a result, he believes the jabs could be ‘life-changing’ and help people get back to work.
He also added that ‘widening waistbands’ are putting a ‘significant burden on our health service’. The illness currently costs the NHS £11 billion a year – more than smoking.
The long-term benefits of weight loss jabs could be ‘monumental’ in tackling obesity, Streeting said.
This comes as the government announced a £279 million investment from pharmaceutical company Lilly. This collaboration will explore new ways to deliver treatment and the real-world study into obesity treatment and worklessness.
Lilly is the maker of weight loss drug tirzepatide – also known as Mounjaro – which has been shown in clinical trials to be more effective than diet and exercise support alone.
‘On the side of the public’
Dr Dolly van Tulleken, obesity policy specialist, told BBC Radio 4 that there are ‘some serious ethical, financial and efficacy considerations with such an approach … Such as looking at people, or measuring people based on their potential economic value, rather than primarily based on their needs and their health needs.
‘It’s incredibly important that people in the UK access healthcare based on their health need rather than their potential economic value.’
However, she added: ‘We know from across so much research how popular these interventions are. People want the government to act.
‘They want to live in a healthy environment; he is absolutely on the side of public.’
This follows the news that nearly 250,000 people could access weight loss jabs under NHS England.
A phased launch of the Mounjaro weight loss jab will be considered after a three-week consultation which started on 3 October.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis is NHS national medical director. He said: ‘This drug will be a powerful part of our arsenal to tackle obesity and support many more people to lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
‘This phased rollout will ensure those with the greatest clinical need can access it as a priority – with a quarter of a million people able to benefit over the first three years – while we develop new and innovative services through which other weight loss treatments can also be delivered.’
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