Government partners with Mounjaro maker to tackle obesity
The £85 million programme from Eli Lilly and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been designed to look at how obese patients can access weight management care more easily.
This includes through community services, in pharmacies and online.
Using these tools, eligible patients could be treated 'in a matter of months', according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Under the agreement, the Government will contribute up to £50 million in UK-wide investment.
Meanwhile, Eli Lilly will back the programme with £35 million, and NHS organisations will be able to apply for a share of the funding.
Successful applicants can then use the cash to run and assess a pilot to build evidence for efficient obesity care in the UK.
Eligible patients could be able to access these innovative services by summer 2026, the Government said.
Mr Streeting warned that obesity is one of the leading causes of ill health and costs the health service billions.
'Yet, we now have the science, technology and knowledge to help tackle the obesity epidemic, if we seize this opportunity,' he added.
Mounjaro, which is made by Eli Lilly, has been dubbed the 'King Kong' of weight loss drugs (Alamy/PA)
'This collaboration will help patients living with obesity in a matter of months – through testing better access to weight loss services and treatments.
'In the long-term it will inform how we can better tackle one of the biggest modern day health challenges and, through our Plan for Change, create an NHS that is fit for the future.'
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said new ways of accessing support 'could be transformational for people's quality of life, and for society'.
They could free obese people from 'ill-health that holds them back in daily life – while reducing the strain on our NHS', he added.
NHS England national medical director Dr Claire Fuller said: 'Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face and costs the NHS billions of pounds every year, so this collaboration between government and industry to drive new ways of supporting people with obesity could make a huge difference.
'The NHS is already developing and rolling out a range of ways to help people to manage their weight and live healthier lives, with patients benefiting from wraparound care from local weight management teams and via online support services, but we are excited by the potential of this collaboration to accelerate efforts to tackle obesity as the NHS moves from treatment to prevention as part of the 10-Year Health Plan.'
Professor Rachel Batterham, senior vice president for international medical affairs at Lilly said: 'The launch of this programme marks an important milestone in advancing new models of care for obesity.'
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, welcomed the announcement but warned that funding should cover costs for pharmacies.
'This is a vital step forward in addressing one of the most pressing health challenges facing our country,' he said.
'It's important that any funding made available is sufficient to cover the costs involved for pharmacies to provide wraparound care and support.
'Community pharmacies already support over 1.4 million people every month with weight management services delivered by pharmacists who are highly trained professionals providing expert, accessible care.
'Despite this, the current NHS rollout remains extremely limited, with only a small number of eligible patients receiving support for obesity with weight loss treatments, and it is vital that this changes.
'With the right funding, pharmacies can scale up delivery quickly – ensuring more people get the help they need, when and where they need it.'
News of the programme comes after Lilly published the results of a trial assessing a new daily pill for weight loss, which could offer a new and convenient alternative to jabs.
People taking orforglipron lost an average of 12.3 kilograms in 72 weeks compared with those not taking the drug.
The phased NHS roll-out of Lilly's weight loss jab Mounjaro to patients in England started in June for patients with a body mass index (BMI) over 40 and at least four co-morbidities.
Over the next three years, about 240,000 patients are expected to be eligible for the treatment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
17 minutes ago
- Scotsman
The things to consider before getting cosmetic surgery abroad
The government is bringing in new regulations in the UK as part of a cosmetic surgery crackdown 💉 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... More people are turning to social media to research cosmetic surgery abroad. People are travelling for procedures like hair transplants and dental work. However, when something goes wrong, the NHS is left with the cost. More people than ever are turning to social media for information about cosmetic surgeries abroad, travelling for procedures like hair transplants or dental work. However, when things go wrong, the NHS is often left to pick up the cost. To help ensure patients have trustworthy information, the government and TikTok have partnered with medical influencers to create content showing the risks and advising on how to make trips as safe as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It comes after the government announced new regulations on cosmetic procedures in the UK. The highest-risk procedures, such as non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts, can only be carried out by qualified, specialised healthcare professionals, registered with the Care Quality Commission. Whilst measures will also include a licensing scheme for lower-risk procedures such as Botox and fillers, alongside minimum age restrictions. The government is also bringing in new regulations for cosmetic procedures in the UK. | Pexels, cottonbro studio Health Minister Karin Smyth said: 'Too many people are being left with life-altering injuries after going abroad for medical procedures, without access to proper advice or safeguards, often drawn in by deals too good to be true and promoted by influencers - some of whom have never been to the practice in question. 'By partnering with TikTok, we're helping people make safer, more informed choices before they go under the knife - wherever that may be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Through our Plan for Change, we're determined to protect patients, ease pressure on the NHS and make sure taxpayers are not left paying the price when things go wrong.' What should you consider before getting cosmetic surgery abroad? There are many things to consider before travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures or surgery. The new advice is calling on potential patients to talk with a UK doctor first and research the clinic they plan to travel to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Check if the clinic is registered and the surgeon's credentials. The NHS advises that before deciding on a clinic, you should find out how surgeons and clinics are regulated in your chosen country and how standards are enforced. Before the procedure, you should have two consultations with the surgeon. This gives you a two-week cooling-off period, which is normally two weeks in the UK. What should you ask your surgeon? In these consultations, the surgeon should explain what the procedure involves, the limitations, alternatives, and any risks or complications. They should also be able to show you before-and-after pictures of their work. Plan for any risks or complications, ask what insurance the clinic or surgeon has and if it will cover you, find out what your travel insurance covers and how you'll get home in the case of an emergency, and most importantly, how much this will cost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How to check if a person is qualified? Each country will have its registration system and accreditation body. In England, all hospitals and clinics that provide cosmetic surgery must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Hi-tech' hearing aids are also available on the NHS
The closing paragraphs of Lucy Knight's article ('I'm carrying survivor's guilt': Raymond Antrobus on growing up deaf, 9 August) may have left readers with a misleading impression of the services and quality of hearing aids provided by the NHS. 'Hi-tech' hearing aids that connect to a smartphone are standard issue with the NHS. True, the very latest models of hearing aids may only be available privately (though, like smartphones, I suspect that the upgrades are often minimal). Like the private sector, the NHS provision of hearing aids is also regularly upgraded. The replacement hearing aids I got this January provide excellent sound, and are a conduit for all the radio and podcast listening I need. Not a bad VoakesBradford Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Telegraph
18 minutes ago
- Telegraph
NHS to hand out more fat jabs after private clinics raise prices
The NHS will prescribe the weight-loss jab Mounjaro to more people in response to a dramatic price increase for private patients, The Telegraph can reveal. GPs are being braced for a surge in demand for the 'King Kong' of weight-loss jabs after Eli Lilly, the US pharmaceutical firm, said it would be more than doubling its prices from Sept 1. Health officials have written to family doctors about an expected increase in demand from patients who had been accessing the drug privately, but will now turn to the NHS. The Government is also looking to intervene in the dramatic price rise, it is understood, amid fears that hundreds of thousands of patients currently benefiting from losing weight on the jabs could be forced to stop taking them. Eli Lilly said it was increasing the cost of Mounjaro – also known as tirzepatide – in the UK to bring it in line with 'other developed nations'. In July, Donald Trump demanded that drug manufacturers lower their prices for American patients and stop other countries 'freeloading' off US firms. The US president previously complained that a friend had the 'fat drug' in London for a fraction of its US price despite being 'the same box made in the same plant by the same company'. Eli Lilly is increasing the wholesale price UK retailers will pay for a middle-sized 5mg dose from £92 to £180, and for the maximum dose, 15mg, from £122 to £330. These costs are likely to be passed on to private patients, of which there are almost one million taking Mounjaro, most of whom will now face the choice of paying the increased rates or stopping the drug. But the NHS has said it will continue prescriptions for patients who had been accessing the drugs privately if they meet certain criteria. The health service has a commercial deal in place to roll out the jab at a cheaper price. The cost of a prescription to patients is £9.90. A letter from NHS officials to GPs seen by The Telegraph said the NHS could continue treatment 'for people that have previously accessed tirzepatide through a private provider' if they meet eligibility criteria when assessed by a weight management service. Under current guidance, patients must have a body mass index of 40 or more 'in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities', such as diabetes and high blood pressure, as part of a phased rollout. From next April, people with a BMI of 35 or more will also be able to get the jab on the NHS, with plans to eventually roll it out to more than three million. People accessing the anti-obesity injections privately are supposed to have a BMI of more than 30, but some people have been 'cheating the system' in order to access it, according to Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary. It is not known how many people will be eligible to move over to an NHS prescription from a private one. There were 32,000 patients waiting for an appointment at a weight management service in the community as of the end of June. While the majority of patients are being seen within 18 weeks, more than 2,000 have been waiting for more than a year. NHS officials also said GPs should tell patients asking for weight-loss jabs if they are not currently eligible. This includes those who may have started treatment with a BMI of more than 40 but is now less. 'We recognise this may be disappointing for people,' the update said, adding that doctors 'could provide reassurance to the person that stopping tirzepatide, that is being taken for its licensed weight loss indication, is not known to cause withdrawal symptoms, but that they should continue, where appropriate, a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity if they want to reduce the risk of weight regain'. It said anyone with questions about stopping the drugs should be directed back to their private provider. More people could also turn to the other weight-loss jab available in the UK, rival brand Wegovy, made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk. A spokesman for the company, which also makes Ozempic, said they had 'no plans of changing our offering in the UK'. 'Our focus is on supporting patients, and we are committed to ensuring that our medicines are not only innovative but also accessible and affordable for those who need them most,' they said. 'Our mission is to help create a healthier world by addressing some of the most pressing threats to public health – including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.' A Department of Health spokesman said: 'This government is committed to ensuring that more people have access to these revolutionary drugs when needed, and crucially that they are able to so do in a safe and controlled way. 'Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers of weight loss and diabetes services. Eli Lilly are working with providers to maintain patient access. 'NHS commissioning of tirzepatide, based on clinical priority, is unaffected by the change in list price.'
