BRITONS NOT DEEMED OBESE COULD SOON USE WEIGHT-LOSS JABS TO LIVE LONGER
Britons who are not deemed obese could soon use weight-loss jabs to live longer, Britain’s most eminent medic has said.
Experts hailed a “golden age” in obesity treatment thanks to drugs which have been found to halve deaths from killer diseases.
About 150 new treatments, including injections and pills, could be available over the next decade to help people who are not overweight or obese.
Prof John Deanfield, Britain’s leading cardiologist and government adviser on health policy, said the treatments were better than statins as they could prevent multiple deadly diseases.
Research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga found that the injections halved the risk of heart attack deaths after six months.
It follows a study published on Monday which suggests a similar impact on cancer.
Prof Deanfield said the drugs, originally developed to treat diabetes, should now be used to prevent heart disease, cancer, liver and kidney disorders, and potentially even dementia.
He said: “These drugs do remarkable things to improve many diseases. They are not just weight-loss drugs, they actually benefit chronic diseases and affect the biology of diseases of ageing. They have shown benefits on heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, mood and mental health.”
His comments come amid mounting calls for a mass rollout of GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide – the key ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic – which mimic hormones that control hunger and reduce inflammation.
Two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese.
About 50,000 people are receiving weight-loss injections on the NHS, despite nearly 4 million being eligible. Health chiefs have called for a phased rollout to allow new services to be set up.
Experts warned that current restrictions risked wasting a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle the chronic diseases that place the greatest strain on the NHS.
Prof Deanfield said most of the population could benefit from the jabs, found to be far more effective than statins, which cut heart death risk by about a tenth.
“It is a bit like statins in the sense that it is a class of drugs that can help millions of people, not just in terms of their immediate problem of being overweight or obese, and all diseases that go with that. It may even help those with diseases in a broader population, even if you weren’t overweight or obese.
“Very excitingly, there are trials ongoing still that are looking at the effect of these drugs on cognitive decline and dementia.
“The promise is that these drugs affect some of the fundamental biology that underpins many of these diseases of ageing that we would like to avoid.
“We don’t just want to live longer, we want to live longer in good health. And this is where these drugs may have a role in the future.”
Studies presented at the conference in Spain show the injections can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack by more than a third within three months – even before significant weight loss is seen. Within six months of use, deaths from heart disease were halved. Similar results have been found in the prevention of cancer, which affects one in two people.
The findings from a trial involving 17,000 adults were presented by Prof Donna Ryan, of Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana.
She told the conference: “We should be treating early, because the benefits come early.”
In the US, the government-funded Medicare system is giving the drugs to everyone with heart disease and those with sleep apnoea.
“This study is a landmark because, for the first time, it demonstrates that we can have a disease-modifying effect with a treatment for obesity,” Prof Ryan added.
“It changed public policy in the United States and I think it ought to change public policy everywhere.”
Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended the rollout of jabs to almost 4 million obese people, with weight-related health problems.
But the NHS is rationing the drugs tightly.
Ministers have vowed to pick up the pace of the rollout, with the Treasury interested in pilot schemes to see if the injections can cut worklessness.
The Government also wants to see pharmacies involved in the initiative.
‘NHS should be ready to roll out at scale’
Dr Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Centre at Weill Cornell Medicine, said: “We are entering a golden age of obesity drugs. The NHS should be ready to roll these out at scale.”
He said about 150 treatments were in development, with pills expected to become widespread and prices to fall sharply as patents expired.
The patent for semaglutide is due to expire in 2026, with secondary protections potentially extending to 2033 in countries including the UK.
After that, costs are expected to plummet as other jabs enter the market.
Research based on government modelling suggests the injections could save the economy almost £5 billion a year by reducing sickness and getting people back into work.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has said the drugs could have “colossal clout” in tackling obesity and helping unemployed Britons back to work.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Obesity costs lives and burdens the economy as well as the NHS.
“Obesity drugs can be game changers in tackling this problem, but we must recognise these drugs are not a replacement for a good diet and exercise.
“As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking at how obesity drugs can be made available to more people, while securing a good price for the taxpayer.”
Prof Jason Halford, past president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: “These drugs could be a big tool in preventative medicine for a variety of diseases. They have the potential to help millions.”
He urged the NHS to move more quickly in getting the drugs to those who could benefit.
He said the “Holy Grail” would be when medications become routinely available in pill form.
“In a decade from now, we’ll have some of the medications off licence so they’ll be much cheaper. The more treatment we have, the more competition we have, the lower the prices.”
The NHS has said it will begin to offer the new drug Mounjaro from next month to those meeting eligibility criteria. Up to 220,000 people will gain access over the next three years.
Dr Claire Fuller, the NHS medical director for primary care, said: “Weight loss drugs are a powerful part of our arsenal to tackle obesity and support people to lose weight and reduce their risk of other illnesses like diabetes, heart attacks and stroke.
“From next month, some eligible patients will be able to access the weight loss drug Mounjaro for the first time. The drug has already been approved for use for some adults in specialist weight management services, and 220,000 people will be eligible to benefit over the first three years.”
She said the phased rollout would ensure those with the greatest need could access the treatment as a priority, while the NHS set up new services to expand the rollout.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “A generation ago, effective drugs for obesity were a pipe dream. Today, we have the tools to change lives and add healthy years. The NHS must embrace this opportunity.”
Katharine Jenner, from the Obesity Health Alliance, said pharmaceutical companies were investing heavily in obesity because “they recognise the scale of the opportunity”.
2025-05-13T20:05:04Z