The revolutionary weight-loss jab Wegovy is to be made available on the NHS in Scotland as the country is gripped by an obesity epidemic.
Patients who are obese with associated health problems such as high blood pressure will be prescribed the drug, but only through specialist NHS weight management services.
In trials, people lost an average of 15 per cent of their body weight over an 18-month period. They also lost 13cm off their waist measurements and their blood pressure and physical functioning improved.
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘I welcome Wegovy when it is prescribed for the right reasons. It is a serious medication for people who are substantially obese.’
Weight loss drug Wegovy
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, welcomes the use of Wegovy when it is prescribed for the right reasons
The decision was announced by drugs watchdog the Scottish Medicines Consortium yesterday.
However, it will only be made available to up to 4,000 new patients every year who have been referred to NHS specialist weight management services because they have proven unable to lose weight with diet and exercise alone.
Two thirds of Scottish adults are overweight or obese and drugs such as Wegovy are being seen as an additional tool in the fight against rising obesity.
A five-year trial of Wegovy suggested it could cut the risk of a heart attack or stroke in obese people with cardiovascular disease by one fifth.
The injection contains the fat-busting ingredient semaglutide, which works to suppress the appetite.
The jab mimics a natural gut hormone called GLP-1 to slow down the movement of food and keep people feeling fuller for longer.
While Wegovy has only recently been launched in the UK, Ozempic, another brand of semaglutide, has been available since 2019 for diabetes patients.
But there have been shortages of Ozempic after demand soared as the weight-loss jabs became increasingly popular. Celebrities including US actress Amy Schumer and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson have also used the drug but both have spoken of giving it up due to side effects.
When Wegovy was launched in England in June, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it could be a ‘game changer’ in the nation’s battle against obesity.
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com
