Weight-loss jabs will be ‘game-changer' for economy
Weight-loss jabs will be a 'game-changer' for the economy, Wes Streeting has said.
A study, based on government modelling, suggests that the rollout of injections could save taxpayers £5 billion a year by dramatically boosting productivity.
The research found that prescribing jabs to about four million people could save an average of £1,100 per person annually – with an average of five fewer sick days for those taking the medication.
Treasury officials are already understood to be examining the case for wider rollout, with particular interest in the impact of the jabs on productivity and worklessness.
Tackling worklessness is a priority for the Government, which is attempting to reduce a spiralling benefits bill being driven in part by long-term sickness.
The findings, which are about to be presented at the European Congress of Obesity in Malaga, will heap pressure on the NHS to speed up the rollout of the new class of medication.
Last night, Mr Streeting said the Government would carefully consider the results of the research, saying the findings were 'important'.
He said: 'These drugs could have colossal clout in our fight to tackle obesity and in turn get unemployed Britons back to work.
'Reversing worrying obesity trends through our Plan for Change will be better for the health of the nation and its finances, with our excess weight currently weighing down on our economy.'
The Health Secretary said the NHS would test new approaches to speed up rollout of obesity medicines, while the Government was taking measures to prevent obesity by cracking down on junk food advertising.
He said: 'Each of us has a responsibility to look after our own health and not rely solely on the NHS.
'But there can be no doubt that these drugs will support our shift from sickness to prevention and be a game-changer for millions.'
Until now, the use of jabs such as semaglutide – marketed as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss – has been heavily rationed on the health service.
Pilot schemes are expected to soon start offering the injections in pharmacies, allowing some patients to pay less than £10 for a prescription, while those on benefits would receive them free.
The new study analyses findings from three major trials of GLP-1 agonists – a new class of medication which suppresses appetite and increases satiety.
Economists used a Department for Health framework to assess the productivity of more than 2,600 participants, using trial data to assess the difference the medication made, looking at metrics such as mobility levels and participation in activities.
Researchers estimated that prescribing injections to everyone with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more, plus a weight-related health problem, and to some patients with type two diabetes would boost the economy by £4.5 billion.
Almost three quarters of the gain came from those of working age, analysts found, suggesting that the jabs could play a major role in getting Britain back to work.
At the start of the year around a quarter of the working age population was out of work – some 10.8 million people.
Last year, separate research found obese people are twice as likely to be off work, with Britain having the worst record of 28 countries examined.
Another international study, including those from the UK, found that 47 per cent of those with morbid obesity were limited in the amount they could work, while 13 per cent of all obese participants were out of work because of their weight.
The new study is by health economists from consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock, which previously published research that found morbidly obese patients cost the NHS twice as much as those of healthy weight.
Clinical trials have found that those on weight loss jabs lost 15 to 20 per cent of their body weight.
Over the past year, the medication has been linked to remarkable improvements in health, which go far beyond weight loss, with some experts hailing them as 'the fountain of youth'.
One leading study found the jabs cut the risk of heart death by a fifth, while they have since been found to set back the clock on a host of diseases.
Last December, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) health watchdog recommended that jabs were offered to around 3.4 million people, with a BMI of at least 35 and a weight-related health condition.
But it said it had taken the 'difficult decision' to restrict the jabs to just 220,000 patients in the next three years, accounting for only around one in 10 of those eligible.
Economists said that rolling out jabs more widely would mean an average of five fewer sick days for those on the jabs, and 12 extra productive days for activities such as childcare.
In total, around £4.5 billion would be saved annually, from improved productivity and lower reliance on NHS and care services, the study found.
The potential economic gains of using weight loss jabs to get people back to work could vastly outweigh the sums Labour has raised through a plethora of taxes.
It will take 10 years to raise £5 billion from changes in inheritance tax for farmers, and three years for private school taxes or the axing of winter fuel payments to raise as much as the £5 billion suggested by the new research.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) of adults in England are obese and a further 36 per cent are overweight.
Estimates suggest that obesity costs the economy around £100 billion annually in lost productivity, welfare payments and pressure on healthcare services.
Global economic impacts of obesity are forecast to reach $4.3 trillion annually by 2035.
Robert King, a senior health economist at Lane Clark & Peacock, said the new findings were 'significant'.
He said: 'We know this is an issue on a huge scale, especially with these chronic diseases, which impact an incredible amount of people.
'So there are far-reaching implications of not treating these types of conditions. We're looking at really large populations here.'
Prof Jason Halford, from the European Association of the Study of Obesity, urged ministers to act on the findings.
He said: 'This could significantly boost the economy. Potentially this could have a dramatic impact on the economy, but for me, it's the impact on people's personal lives, which is the big thing that's great.
'Not only does obesity-related disease have a terrific negative impact upon our health services in terms of costs, but it also has a negative impact on our wider economy, and that holds the UK back.
'If only for economic reasons, it makes sense to have effective treatments available for those who need them.
'A booming economy will produce revenues which can be put back into the NHS.
'The problem is that's a long-term issue, and politics deals in the short-term, so it might be a couple of governments before we start really reaping the benefits of this.'
Around 500,000 people in Britain now estimated to be buying weight-loss jabs privately, from high street chemists and online pharmacists, at a cost of between £120 and £250 a month.
The analysis did not take account of the cost of injections, with prices expected to keep falling, amid fierce competition, as some drugs go off patent.
The Tony Blair Institute has called for the remit for the Nice to be overhauled, saying it is 'shortsighted' and 'absurd' to disregard the broader economic benefits from weight-loss medications.
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