FAT loss pills will soon be available outside hospitals as ministers declare war on obesity.
Patients with both a BMI over 35 and a weight-related condition will receive Wegovy in a two-year pilot.
GettyFat loss pills will soon be available outside hospitals[/caption]
GettySteve Barclay said: ‘The next generation of obesity drugs have the potential to help people lose significant amounts of weight’[/caption]
Currently, the drug is available only via weight loss experts in hospitals but, as part of ministers’ £40million scheme, GPs could be allowed to prescribe the drug.
It means tens of thousands more patients will have access to Wegovy, which can reduce body weight by 15 per cent.
Obesity costs the NHS £6.5billion a year.
Warning of the “huge pressure” piled on hospitals, the PM said cutting-edge drugs could be a “game-changer by helping to tackle dangerous obesity-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer”.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “The next generation of obesity drugs have the potential to help people lose significant amounts of weight.”
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis added: “Tackling obesity is a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan – it can have devastating consequences for the nation’s health, leading to serious health conditions and some common cancers as well as resulting in significant pressure on NHS services.”