Labour should invest in weight loss medications immediately

Also, surely these are a better /cheaper options than bariatric surgery.

Maybe MNHQ might invite a health economist, a bariatric clinician, a diabetologist/cardiologist/endocrinologist, some NHS service design people and an NHS commissioner along for a webchat. It would be very informative!

ETA: forgot to include primary care HCPs in this!

The drugs work so I'm sure one day they will be available on the NHS. Not the branded version but a generic brand that will be made once the patients run out on these drugs. I think Ozempic/Wegovy patient runs out soon, so once there is a cheap generic version then I'd say the NHS will start offering it.

Long term if they reduce weight related health conditions that cost the NHS more, then it makes sense to invest in something that can prevent these conditions from happening and save money long term.

The studies on blindness was conducted on only people that already had eye conditions. So not with a range of people with and without. So the results are pretty skewed. Diabetes already have a risk of blindness.

Also, surely these are a better /cheaper options than bariatric surgery.

I haven't implied that.

It isn't easy. It is indeed hard work. I am overweight from stress, and not exercising enough,.and the odd/regular drink.

I am not stupid, not lazy...just find it hard to keep doing all the things that are good for me.

I don't believe in a magic pill though. I believe that I need to eat healthily, sleep well, stop drinking, go to yoga. My I appreciate everyone is different. But we can't all be that different.

How much are you exercising, sleeping, how many portions of fruit and veg a day?

@StickItInTheFamilyAlbum Yes, I agree with you, and sorry for misunderstanding your calculations (not my strongest point!). You are also absolutely right that at the societal level it’s just crazy that we have got to this point.

I work in healthcare, and it just seems we don’t understand generally what an absolute timebomb obesity is for the NHS (to mix metaphors the billions spent at the moment is the tip of the iceberg). Of course, many of the posters are correct and people must take more responsibility, but where we are and where we’re heading is such a huge crisis that I think we should be grabbing with both hands any potential solution, even for the short term, as I don’t see taxes on UPF’s or more cycle lanes happening anytime soon.

I think there are higher priorities
Not all diabetes is related to weight. Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of dementia but is NOT the leading cause

As a GP, last year we had to change all our diabetics who were on semeglutide to insulin, as there was no semeglutide available. In coincided with it being available to buy for weight loss. So I’m pretty sure the supplies for the different conditions aren’t separated.

Absolutely not.

We have no idea what the long term implications of these medications are.

Proper mental health services need investment, not weight loss.

A bit late to the thread, but why don't people manage their own weight?

Obviously, some can't help weight gain because of medical reasons, but I don't mean them.

I don't disagree. However…

Public funding for health services in England comes from Department of Health and Social Care's budget. The Department's spending in 2022/23 was £181.7 billion. The vast majority of this spending (94.6%, or £171.8 billion) was on day-to-day items such as staff salaries and medicines.

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/nhs-budget-nutshell

My back of the envelope for an obesity injectable etc. would be £1.69B per month or £20.28B per year (or £21.97B if calculated on 4 weeks). These would be the calculations until however long it takes to come off patent or to switch to an oral formulation that would likely have a far more sustainable uptake than the injectable. (I've not costed full MDT support for people, just basics and no adverse events or the cost of rectifying associated harms like gallstones or falls resulting over time from muscle loss.)

Leaving aside the manufacture/distribution/follow-up issues, it's something for which I'd like to see the full economic breakdown over a lifetime. (That would need to cost in the people who have adverse events like the gastroparesis, rare eye conditions (that add up when a very big number of people take something), gallstones etc.).

The moral hazard doesn't disturb me if the health improvements work out for people (as well as the NHS). But, I'm uneasy that it's easier to come up with a (potential) medical solution than to implement changes to remove the drivers that have brought us, as a population, to this point.

People saying that overweight people are lazy or just can’t be bothered to diet are not understanding the huge, complex underlying reasons for overeating.

Overeating, just like under eating, is a form of self harm.

This is what needs to be tackled first and foremost.

Some of the comments on here are very harsh but I bet they wouldn’t be as harsh to someone who was anorexic.
But they should be treated exactly the same.

Poor people are more likely to be over weight.
Depressed people are more likely to be overweight.
Single parents working multiple jobs are more likely to be overweight.

In most cases it’s not as simple as someone being lazy.

Type 2 diabetes is a possible side effect of statins.

These drugs are amazing if they help people lose weight but they don’t get to the route of the issue.

Very few people are overweight due to overeating because of hunger.
Usually it’s much more complex.

These drugs should be available on the NHS more but I think there should also be other things put in place too - perhaps therapy, mandatory cooking in schools, lowering the price of healthy food etc.

Weight loss pills and surgery have been around for decades but the number of obese people (including children) still increases.

So although I know where you’re coming from, I can’t see how these injections will actually help in the long run.

We risk not doing enough to stop people from getting obese, just because we can just throw drugs at it.
This is not going to help in the long run and we’re reaching our kids that it’s ok to overeat (self harm) because you can just take medication instead.

We know that will any illness, taking medication is the last resort.
So why instead of giving people free gym memberships or weekly vegetable vouchers, are we going to throw medication (with side effects) at the problem.

Prevention is always better than treatment and it’s better to focus on preventing people from becoming obese, than to just throw drugs at the problem.

All these people taking this drug are losing weight because they’re burning more calories than they’re eating.

I'm fat and need to lose weight. I know what I need to do, I just don't have the motivation or willpower. I have enough issues with my digestive system (after having my gallbladder out) so I'd rather take my chances being fat than take weight loss drugs. It doesn't help that I hate exercise as well. I find it boring and hate getting hot and sweaty. One day it'll click and I'll do something about it, that's what happened in the past, but it won't be with drugs.

Yes it’s considered impolite to others to take up too much space in Japan, but even there, obesity is rising.

@HowToSaveTheNHS forgot to ask as well - how old are you???

You can buy a plain hot chocolate at any high street cafe no problem. They ask if you want whipped cream, mallows etc. It’s not as if they’re forcing it down your children! Talk about being over dramatic..

As for cake - share, take the other bit home, buy one of the smaller options (there are always some). You are projecting and blowing this out of proportion.

If you want smaller portions and less UPF I suggest that you go to an independent coffee shop. More expensive but worth it. It’s hardly shocking that Costa, a cheap chain owned by Coca-Cola is unhealthy.

Exactly, we are suffering from the effects of capitalism running wild and unfettered.

We ideally want a mix of a lively economy tempered by sensible, but not stifling, regulation, with public interest at the heart of policy.

No
I think we should put huge taxes on
processed and sugary foods.

Making city centres car free aswell might help from an exercise perspective.

@HowToSaveTheNHS So to be clear OP, you are a health professional working for the NHS?

Would you mind sharing your weight, height and BMI with us, please? Just out of interest.

Also, out of interest, do you follow NHS guidelines about smoking and drinking? Do you cook from scratch and avoid UPF? Do you exercise for at least 30 minutes several times a week?

Because I would really, really like to know. To put things into perspective.

I have lots of other questions but those can follow after your replies.

I believe adult obesity sometimes starts with not getting enough food in childhood, so the government should look at ensuring that wages are high enough & good, nutritious food is cheap enough that no child grows up feeling anxiety about food supply. If we were to eliminate the need for food banks, that would be brilliant.

This. The lack of awareness as to what some people are eating, is a huge part of the problem. Learning to take the time to read the ingredients in a product, is so important. Also understanding of the types of ingredients that should be avoided at all cost. There needs to be a huge cultural shift in how food is seen here, imo. Too many times on MN for example, I have seen posters displaying the attitude that cooking is boring, time consuming, drudge work etc.. I see cooking with wholesome ingredients as investing in my health.

Simple isn't it. Cut the cake in half. How many excuses is it possible to make.

We need to take personal responsibility for over eating. With the NHS in the state it’s in we really need to get people to help themselves rather than the good old NHS sorting them out. Other countries such as Japan don’t have large amounts of obesity. We need to look at places that don’t have the issues we have

I can tell you how the Japanese stay thin: shaming. When you gain a bit of weight people will absolutely comment on it lol and being fat will make you a less desirable hire in the workplace