We must urgently expand access to obesity treatments
4 min read
To be serious about tackling the obesity crisis that is costing the NHS £19bn a year, we must massively expand access to weight-loss drugs.
Obesity is no longer only a health crisis; it is also an economic one. Obesity is crushing the NHS, with 3.4m clinically obese Brits costing the health service £19bn a year and the wider economy £98bn. Put another way, that’s almost the same amount the UK spends on schools and defence combined.
The idea that this treatment is going to bankrupt the NHS is wrong – obesity risks bankrupting the NHS, through the associated costs in areas such as social care and cardiovascular care. The health watchdog NICE has approved treatment as cost-effective, and we need to get into the mindset of potential savings.
The link between obesity and productivity has never been clearer. New research suggests expanding access to weight-loss drugs could boost the British economy by £4.5bn. Political leaders are starting to grasp their potential: the Prime Minister and Health Secretary have, on separate occasions, hailed these jabs as a boost to the UK economy. And now the Treasury is understood to be undertaking modelling to better understand their economic benefits.
But limited access to these drugs and the slow pace of rollout mean these benefits are now at risk of being lost forever. Despite millions being eligible, only around 35,000 people currently have access to these medications via the NHS.
And despite the obvious success of these medicines in improving the health and life chances of so many, and NICE calling for their faster rollout, we are already seeing moves within the NHS to restrict access further.
The country cannot afford to miss the opportunity that these game-changing drugs offer. That's why next month’s NHS 10 Year Plan must be bold, or risk us throwing away this once-in-a-generation opportunity. It must set an ambitious target to expand the use of these medicines, which we know improve not only the health of the individual but also the health of the economy.
It needs to recognise the significant and lasting change these medicines are already making, improving the life chances of thousands now, with the potential to reach millions more. If we truly believe in the power of prevention, we need a 10-Year Plan which massively scales up the use of the things we know are working now, not those things we hope might work in the future.
As the European Congress on Obesity concluded earlier this month, the evidence presented in Malaga is clear that these drugs work – they are helping people lose weight, reducing the risk of conditions like cancer and Type 2 diabetes, and are getting people back to work.
At Oviva, we offer these jabs exclusively on the NHS to patients with genuine clinical need and who couldn’t otherwise afford them. NHS patients using the Wegovy jab alongside our remote app-based programme lost 8.5 per cent of their body weight in just six months. Nearly a quarter came from the most deprived areas in England, a third were triaged for psychological support, and 13 per cent were unemployed – much higher than the average England-wide unemployment level.
It’s clear that any further restrictions on treatment access will impact these disadvantaged groups the most.
But jabs alone aren’t the answer.
For the NHS to get a return on investment, we also need to change people’s behaviour and help them build healthier habits to keep the weight off in the long term. Once people come off these drugs and the appetite-suppressing effects wear off, many struggle to maintain progress. You can deliver a service with limited touchpoints with patients, but the data shows that the retention is not as good. Better retention means better cost-effectiveness for patients on the programme.
We need more obesity treatment on the NHS that brings together endocrinologists, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, and health coaches — delivering holistic care to patients.
Obesity isn’t a lifestyle choice. It is the second leading cause of cancer and a major risk factor for chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. We need the government to rapidly roll out and scale up weight loss programmes to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis, boost the economy and reduce pressures on the health service.
Martin Fidock is Managing Director of Oviva.
