A two-year pilot scheme is being launched to extend entry to weight reduction medicine and reduce NHS ready lists – as Rishi Sunak mentioned the brand new therapies may very well be a “game-changer”.
Ministers hope the £40m programme utilizing medicine like semaglutide – often known as Wegovy – will assist crack down on weight problems, cut back strain on the well being service and get monetary savings in the long run.
Semaglutide “suppresses appetite by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is released after eating”, in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
This makes folks really feel full, decreasing the quantity of meals they eat.
It was introduced earlier this yr that it might be out there on the NHS.
NICE suggested that semaglutide ought to solely be out there by way of specialist clinics, which are usually primarily based in hospitals.
Ministers wish to use a number of the £40m to analysis whether or not these weight administration companies may fairly be supplied by way of GPs, locally or digitally with a view to attain extra folks.
It is run by way of weekly injection, and the federal government says it “can help adults living with obesity lose over 15% of their body weight when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity and behavioural support”.
The prime minister mentioned: “Obesity places large strain on the NHS.
“Using the latest drugs to support people to lose weight will be a game-changer by helping to tackle dangerous obesity-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer – reducing pressure on hospitals, supporting people to live healthier and longer lives, and helping to deliver on my priority to cut NHS waiting lists.”
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According to the federal government, obesity-related situations price the NHS £6.5bn a yr, and within the 2019/2020 interval, there have been greater than 1,000,000 NHS hospital admissions the place weight problems was an element.
Boots has already indicated plans to present the jab from its pharmacies, and personal clinics are additionally promoting appointments to assist folks get the medicine as soon as they change into out there.
NICE additionally really useful that semaglutide be used for folks with a physique mass index of no less than 35 (roughly 18 and a half stone at 6ft tall) who even have a weight-related situation like diabetes or hypertension.
The drug has beforehand been authorised in America, and celebrities like Elon Musk have spoken about utilizing it.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are among the many negative effects of semalglutide, and there’s additionally an elevated danger of gallstones, kidney failure, pancreatitis and thyroid most cancers.
There have beforehand been warnings that Novo Nordisk, the corporate that makes the Wegovy jab, might not be capable to meet the calls for of elevated NHS prescriptions.
In smaller doses, semaglutide is used to deal with diabetes – and docs had been anxious that some folks would possibly lose out as a consequence of provide chain disruption.
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis mentioned: “Pharmaceutical treatments offer a new way of helping people with obesity gain a healthier weight and this new pilot will help determine if these medicines can be used safely and effectively in non-hospital settings as well as a range of other interventions we have in place.”
Source: information.sky.com”