Pharmacists are set to hand out weight-loss jabs on the NHS.
Under government plans, just a short, over-the-counter consultation will be needed to get the likes of Ozempic and Mounjaro for the cost of an NHS prescription – this week frozen at £9.90.
The Mail understands a deal worth tens of millions of pounds will be struck with a major pharmaceutical firm to fund a pilot scheme across the UK, with a view to eventually rolling it out to everyone in need.
At the moment, the powerful injections are available to only a tiny number of people on the NHS – after talks with a specialist and in conjunction with other weight-loss methods. There is a two-year waiting list.
But ministers plan to expand the drugs’ use dramatically by dishing out prescriptions quickly and easily in ‘creative’ ways, such as through high street chemists, health centres and apps.
It means, once the deal is signed, it will be possible to walk into a pharmacy and, after a short assessment, leave with a supply of jabs for £9.90.
A source said: ‘People with resources are already buying them privately, but we know there are people from certain backgrounds who always miss out on this kind of support.
This makes sure that local pharmacies and trusted medical support organisations are involved in the roll-out from the very beginning.’
Pharmacists are set to hand out weight-loss jabs on the NHS. Under government plans, just a short, over-the-counter consultation will be needed to get the likes of Ozempic and Mounjaro for the cost of an NHS prescription – this week frozen at £9.90 (stock image)
At the moment, the powerful injections are available to only a tiny number of people on the NHS – after talks with a specialist and in conjunction with other weight-loss methods. There is a two-year waiting list (stock image)
More than a quarter (28 per cent) of adults in England are obese and a further 36 per cent are overweight. The obesity crisis costs the NHS more than £6 billion a year and the economy billions more in lost productivity and benefits.
Weight-loss jabs can be bought privately from high street chemists or online pharmacies following a short consultation with a pharmacist. They cost between £120 and £250 for a month’s supply.
The total number of people in Britain using the jabs is estimated at 500,000, with many obtaining them privately. In clinical trials, people lost 15 to 20 per cent of their body weight, depending on the drug.
With upwards of 14 million obese people in the country, rolling it out to everyone at once could bankrupt the NHS, so it needs to be done gradually.
Critics, however, said taxpayers should not be footing the bill for ‘trendy’ drugs that would not be needed if people chose healthier lifestyles.
Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said patients must be monitored by specialists who can ensure the drugs are used safely.
‘Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition with many causes,’ she said.
‘We welcome investment that helps people living with excess weight access much-needed support – but drugs alone are not the solution.’
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers will rightly question whether rolling out weight-loss drugs on this scale is the best use of their money.
‘While tackling obesity is important, ministers must ensure that this scheme delivers value for money and doesn’t simply open the door to spiralling costs or waste.’
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘Weight-loss medications have a lot of potential
to help patients who are struggling to lose weight, and who meet all the clinical criteria for a prescription.
‘But these drugs should not be seen as a silver bullet for weight loss or a short-term fix to lose weight for a particular milestone.
‘The forthcoming roll-out will need to be routinely evaluated to ensure that these prescriptions are of long-term benefit to patients, and that general practice and the wider NHS has the capacity and resources necessary to ensure treatment is being delivered safely.’
It came as the World Health Organisation prepared to officially endorse weight-loss drugs to tackle obesity in adults for the first time. The U-turn was revealed in a leaked memo seen by Reuters, after the WHO previously said it could not recommend the drugs because there was not enough data on their long-term effects.
The recommendation, which could also see the drugs added to its essential medicines list, may make the drugs more widely available globally.
