Plans to dole out obesity jabs on the NHS risk overwhelming an already stretched service, Amanda Pritchard has warned.
The NHS England chief executive said the weight-loss drugs could be a ‘game-changer’ when it comes to tackling the nation’s bulging waistlines.
But in an email to trust leaders today, seen by the Mail, she stressed the need to transform the way overweight patients access care in order to cope with demand.
It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting revealed the government wants to use the jabs to boost the economy and get unemployed obese people back to work.
Weight-related illness costs the economy £74billion a year, with people who are overweight at increased risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
In an email to trust leaders today, seen by the Mail, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard stressed the need to transform the way overweight patients access care in order to cope with demand
It can also leave them susceptible to muscular aches and pains that can prevent them from working.
Ms Pritchard wrote: ‘Obesity, as we all know, is one of the biggest public health issues we face.
‘Cost-effective weight loss drugs will be a game-changer, alongside earlier prevention strategies — but without transforming pathways they could overwhelm already-stretched services.’
Two in three Britons are classed as overweight or obese and NHS figures show people now weigh about a stone more than 30 years ago.
The NHS is preparing the mass rollout of weight loss jabs to 1.6million patients.
They will be targeted at the heaviest and sickest first, the Government said last month.
Draft guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends Mounjaro injections for those with a BMI of at least 35, as well as weight-related health problems.
Trials show drug, which has been described as the ‘King Kong’ of fat-busting jabs, can help people lose up to 26 per cent of their body weight over a year and half.
The government is also backing a five-year trial of Mounjaro, which will see pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly evaluate the ‘real-world effectiveness’ of its drug, in collaboration with the University of Manchester.
Researchers will quantify the jab’s long-term effects on obesity, diabetes incidence and weight-related complications, as well as its impacts on employment, sick days and quality of life.
Ms Pritchard added: ‘Thanks to this partnership, we now have an important chance to gain a better understanding of the benefits of weight management interventions for patients, and how best to deliver them over the next few years.
‘The agreement also shows the NHS is uniquely well placed globally not just to bring effective new treatments to those who would benefit most, but also to support science, research, jobs and economic growth across the country.
‘That is a capability we are continuing to develop.’
Obesity jabs will be tested and made in the UK under Government plans to shore up NHS supplies and tackle the nation’s bulging waist lines
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today told BBC Breakfast: ‘I think these drugs could be very important for our economy and for health.
‘This drug will be very helpful to people who want to lose weight, need to lose weight, very important for the economy so people can get back into work.
‘Very important for the NHS because, as I’ve said time and again, yes, we need more money for our NHS, but we’ve got to think differently.
‘We’ve got to reduce the pressure on the NHS. So this will help in all of those areas.’
And writing in The Telegraph, Mr Streeting said: ‘Our widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11 billion a year — even more than smoking. And it’s holding back our economy.
‘Illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average, while many others are forced out of work altogether.
‘The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to tackling obesity.
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by triggering the body to bind to a receptor called the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers the release of hormones in the brain which keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings
NHS-backed data source OpenPrescribing shows soaring prescriptions for semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy
‘For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS.’
However, Mr Streeting insisted individuals will need to remain responsible for taking ‘healthy living more seriously’, as the ‘NHS can’t be expected to always pick up the tab for unhealthy lifestyles’.
Mounjaro, which is made by Eli Lilly, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help manage blood sugar and are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Other GLP-1 agonists include semaglutide — sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus.
These medicines have seen a number of supply issues in recent months.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle told the Mail on Monday that the government will work with the pharmaceutical industry to open a manufacturing plant in the UK, which could shore up supplies of the jabs for the NHS.
Most approved anti-obesity drugs are offered with support for people to make lifestyle and dietary changes.