Obese to get soups and shakes diet instead of weight-loss jabs
From January, 3,000 patients who have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will be recruited for a clinical trial.
About 300,000 Scots live with type 2 diabetes, a condition commonly linked to obesity, in which badly regulated blood sugar levels can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, strokes or nerve conditions.
About 10,000 of them are being treated with weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, with injections costing the NHS £3,000 a year. The estimated annual bill of £30 million is expected to rise as manufacturers raise prices.
NHS chiefs believe that not only will the soups and shakes plan be less expensive, it will also bring longer-term health benefits.
In the Total Diet Replacement (TDR) plan, to be rolled out over three years, patients who have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and are deemed eligible will be given low-calorie substitutes for their breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The replacement meals, containing a maximum of 900 calories a day, will be delivered to patients for between three and five months.
• What to do now Mounjaro's hiking its prices, by an obesity expert
After this initial period, normal food will be reintroduced, but with guidance given on healthy meals through online consultations and an app.
The ambition is for patients to lose up to 10 per cent of their body weight over a year.
Doctors are also optimistic that up to 40 per cent of the trial participants will achieve remission from type 2 diabetes within a year.
There are fears that the weight lost through injections — which work by suppressing the appetite — may last only as long as the patient is taking the drug.
By contrast, the effects of diet changes should prove more long-lasting and cost effective, NHS officials believe. The TDR scheme is set to cost £5.6 million for 3,000 patients, a one-off cost of about £1,866 per person.
Doctors hope the plan will help patients to fundamentally alter their diet and lifestyle.
A spokesman for the Scottish government said: 'We anticipate that around 35 to 40 per cent will achieve remission from type 2 diabetes at the end of their first year on the programme, with a majority of patients benefiting from a clinically significant average weight loss of 10 per cent.'
This would lead to reductions in blood pressure and contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
He added: 'We will measure impact by the number of patients recruited into this programme, the number who achieve remission and the number with clinically significant weight loss.'
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