08-07-2025
Huge brand saved from going bust as it turns business around to sell weight loss jabs
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WEIGHTWATCHERS has emerged from bankruptcy after slimming down its debts and pledges to combine weight-loss jabs with lifestyle changes.
The company, now called WW International, filed for bankruptcy in the US in May in order to remove 1.15 billion US dollars (£840million) worth of debt from its balance sheet.
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WeightWatchers has emerged from bankruptcy after it restructured its debt
Credit: Getty - Contributor
At the time, WeightWatchers said it was planning to emerge from bankruptcy in roughly 45 days.
The company continued to operate as normal and there was no impact to members, workshops or their plans.
The court process allowed it to restructure its finances and write off the debts, which made up more than 70% of the total amount.
It also agreed new terms to pay back its lenders.
WeightWatchers originally gained popularity due to its points system, which encouraged participants to make healthier food choices and manage their portion sizes.
It grew to include an exercise regime, points system for food portions, weight-loss programmes and fitness coaching.
But it has struggled in recent years due to financial challenges and declining membership.
Meanwhile, competition for weight loss products has grown fiercely as demand for quick-fix weight-loss injections under brand names including Mounjaro and Wegovy has increased.
The chain also lost its most prominent spokeswoman, Oprah Winfrey, last year after the talkshow host announced that she was taking weight-loss medication.
WeightWatchers' chief executive Tara Comonte has said the company needed to transform amid a 'rapidly evolving weight managing landscape'.
It is also appointing a new board of directors.
On Tuesday the group said it has hired physician Dr Kim Boyd as its new chief medical officer to help bring science into its products.
Dr Boyd said she plans to combine the best of modern medicine, including weight loss jabs, with science-backed lifestyle changes and the WeightWatchers community to help deliver better results.
Tara Comonte said it is a "pivotal moment for the group'.
She added: 'In a landscape dominated by noise, quick fixes, and conflicting advice, WeightWatchers continues to lead as the most trusted, science-backed platform, proven to drive better results and lasting impact'.
The company is also launching a new programme later this year to support women through perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.
It will include personal nutrition and behavioural strategies.
The move will help WeightWatchers address a broader gap in healthcare and meet the evolving needs of its members, it said.
Supermarkets have also reported declining sales due to the rise in fat jabs.
Are you eligible for weight loss jabs on the NHS?
By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
THEY are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times.
And now, so-called 'fat jabs' are available to many more Brits on the NHS.
In what marks the dawn of a new era, GPs have begun prescribing the weight loss jab Mounjaro in the first anti-obesity rollout of its kind.
More than three million people are thought to be eligible for tirzepatide - the active drug in Mounjaro - the strongest jab on the market.
Health chiefs hope it will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis which has seen rates double since the 1990s.
Injections including Ozempic and Wegovy have previously only been available for type 2 diabetes or through specialist slimming clinics.
Family doctors will now be encouraged to prescribe them in a bid to get more people on the meds.
Experts hope widespread use will slash work sick days and boost the economy, while reducing rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia.
But demand for the drugs is already huge and NHS clinics cannot dish them out fast enough.
Who is eligible in the new rollout?
The new rollout allows GPs to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, starting with those patients whose weight places them at greatest health risk.
Top of the list will be those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher (or 37.5 if from a minority ethnic background) and four weight-related health conditions.
A BMI of 40 is roughly equal to weighing 16st (102kg) for an average height 5'3' woman, or 19st 6lbs (123kg) for an average 5'9' man.
Weight-related conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease.
Patients will likely be expected to have tried diet and exercise first before being offered a jab.
Many are likely to miss out, as some 13.5million adults in England are obese but only 3.4million are estimated to be eligible in the rollout.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'Currently only patients who meet certain criteria - those who could benefit most - are eligible to be prescribed weight loss drugs on the NHS, and GPs will also need to follow local guidelines when prescribing.
'If your practice advises you that they won't be able to provide weight loss medication, these will likely be the reasons why.
'We appreciate the idea of weight loss medication is an attractive prospect to many patients - and they do have a lot of potential benefits for patients and may be a valuable tool as we try to tackle obesity at a national level – but it's important these medications aren't seen as a silver bullet.
'Weight loss drugs do not come without risk, they can cause side effects which range in seriousness, and they won't be suitable for everyone.
'It's important we don't lose sight of the role lifestyle factors play in achieving a healthy weight.
'The roll out of weight loss medications as a treatment for obesity must not come at the expense of other weight loss services.'
If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services.
Known as tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services, they may prescribe the jabs after other weight loss attempts.
Many people are expected to find it easier to go private, with the injections widely available from high street pharmacies like Boots, Superdrug, and even Asda.
There are also numerous online pharmacies offering the drugs.
Buying the drugs online might seem like the faster fix – but buyer beware.
Slimming success stories are everywhere but so, too, are tales of horror.
Many patients have been duped by dodgy sellers, suffered severe side effects or even died after taking jabs they bought online.
Bargain prices, easy tick-box applications, or prescriptions with no follow-up, should all be red flags to online shoppers.
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