* A UK study presented at the European Congress on Obesity found GLP-1 weight-loss drugs significantly reduced sickness absence and NHS usage among obese patients.
* The study followed 1,270 NHS patients enrolled in Oviva’s tier 3 weight management programme. Patients received GLP-1 injections plus clinical support.
* Most patients used semaglutide-based drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic.
* Participants lost an average of 12.4% of body weight over nine months. Average BMI fell from 45 to 39.
* Sick days fell by 45%, while long-term sickness absence (5+ days) dropped by 56%.
* GP demand also declined sharply:
* In-person GP visits fell 43%
* Remote consultations fell 48%
* Over 60% of patients stopped contacting their GP entirely during the study period
* A separate study of 738 patients found A&E attendance fell by about 25%.
* Researchers estimate that expanding access to eligible NHS patients in England could:
* Free up nearly 10 million GP appointments annually
* Save the NHS about £364 million per year
* Reduce pressure on GP services by roughly 3% of the core GP budget
* Martin Fidock argued obesity is a major contributor to Britain’s productivity problems and said treatment improves work participation as well as health outcomes.
* Tony Blair Institute policy director Charlotte Refsum said broader access to anti-obesity drugs could generate both economic gains and NHS savings.
* Two additional Danish studies suggested possible secondary benefits of GLP-1 drugs:
* Asthma exacerbations fell 26% among overweight or diabetic asthma patients taking semaglutide or liraglutide
* Pneumonia events fell 10%
* Use of asthma inhalers and corticosteroids also declined
* Another study found young adults (18–35) taking Wegovy had an 18% reduction in migraine triptan medication use.
* Researchers stressed that more studies are needed to confirm causation, determine dose effects, and see whether similar benefits apply across other GLP-1 drugs.
Oreos_Are_Anabolic on
I personally *love* GLP1s. They’re such a beneficial compound for those who need it (people who want to lose weight but need help with food noise & appetite reduction).
They are also (independent of weight loss), cardio protective, improve dyslipidemia, reduce inflamation etc. They are straight up health drugs.
Once the oral version becomes more available I’m tempted to maintain a low dose year round for the health benefits.
Otherwise, I layer in Tirzepatide a few times a year on the lead-up to & including summer and again if I’m cutting down to race weight ahead of a triathlon. The QOL is well worth it since you can cut much more comfortably.
Deadliftdeadlife on
Fantastic drugs and the faster we can roll these out the better. And cheaper.
Inb4 the endless comment of people complaining about these drugs and that people should eat less and exercise.
Obesity has been rising for decades. We have a hugely obese population. Whatever we’ve been doing, it’s failed. These drugs are succeeding and all the evidence shows taking these drugs is safer than staying obese.
I’ve used them and they’ve completely changed my eating habits, those changes have stayed when I stop using the drug
coffeesnob7 on
People will always say “eat less and Exercise more” instead of relying on these drugs. The undeniable fact right now is the UK has a massive obesity crisis which is ruining the NHS. Morbidly obese individuals, require more care than non obese counterparts and often they receive less quality care as standard equipment is not built for people over 150kg. Ideally food therapy and exercise classes would run concurrently with weight loss jabs to form habits but the NHS cannot fund another branch of heathcare that realistically should be taken up by the individuals themselves.
Give people the jabs, let them loss the weight and hope they take that as motivation to improve exercise / fitness and eating habits. No need to demonise weightloss jabs because you think its the easy way out. Im sure people taking them could tell a multitude if stories about the side effects it has on their digestive system. Probably not all rainbows and unicorns injecting yourself daily either
ungratefulshitebag on
Can’t wait for all the comments dressed up as concern that really mean “I don’t like fat people. Fat people don’t deserve something to make their life easier. They should struggle their way through dieting or they should stay fat”.
Few_House_5201 on
I took these drugs and they turned my life around. The sooner they’re available for everyone in the UK who’s overweight, the better.
I actually saved money on them as stopped spending £50 a week on takeaways.
ohdeydothodontdeytho on
I don’t know much about these drugs, and i wonder how they work.
Can obese people still gorge themselves but they don’t put on weight?
evenifihateit on
They’re incredible things. I am at a healthy BMI for the first time in years. The more weight I have lost, the more active I have become and the more I enjoy that activity. I can’t stand the thought of certain foods now and genuinely enjoy muesli and yoghurt more than fried potato cakes these days, which is not something I ever thought I would say!
But it’s the unexpected effects that have really impressed me. My interest in alcohol is minimal: I drink maybe once a week now and when I do it’s 2-3 drinks tops and I just don’t want any more. I vape so much less. They’ve not just taken away the desperate urge to eat, eat, eat, they’ve massively reduced that whole ‘I need to consume *something* to feel ok’ aching desperate emptiness that I didn’t even realise was there until the jabs made it go away.
I use wegovy and the cost to me is £120 a month. I spent more than that on alcohol and snacks and so on before I started this, it’s not at all expensive in context.
Counterpoint-4 on
Presumably anyone taking the jabs on the NHS is told of the side effects and takes the responsibility? I can see in 10 years’ time the NHS being sued for millions if certain side effects are a long term disadvantage.
MachineHot3089 on
There absolutely has to be a catch to the magical weight loss jab
Anxious_Equipment144 on
It’s a good idea, much in the same way statins help because they keep people out of cardiovascular wards
fitzgoldy on
Weight-loss jabs needs to come with the person actually going to the gym/ exercising properly though as well.
If people aren’t proving they are also doing that at the same time, they shouldn’t be allowed the jabs, from the NHS.
Doily_Enjoyer on
They need to factor in removing the gallbladders of even more people into their calculations.
I lost nothing but my gallbladder on GLP-1s. They don’t work for everyone.
Melodic-Earth-8072 on
there’s also growing evidence that GLP-1s may be an effective treatment for certain chronic conditions such as ME, MCAS and more. as someone who’s bedbound with ME, it actually gives me some hope.
Clbull on
The availability (or lack thereof) of Mounjaro and Ozempic on the NHS shows just how badly Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting have fucked up with Labour’s electoral pledges.
The notion that waiting lists have gone down is complete horse-shit.
I have a friend from a deprived part of Southern Wales who is obese, suffers from fibromyalgia which limits her ability to exercise, and who is now having to go through gastric sleeve surgery (privately out of her own pocket), because [there is a decade-long waiting list to be prescribed Mounjaro on the NHS ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v6nlke70qo), and that stuff is expensive as hell from private sources.
Yes I could also put this failure on Eluned Morgan since she was until recently the First Minister of Wales, but still.
This, and Labour’s inaction on immigration, is why Farage looks set to win the next general election.
goose_2019 on
I was 170kg and now weigh 85kg to 89kg. Took time and some years and many different ways to train and eat different ways also. People really need to try harder before taking these as when you stop likely hood you can return to being big. These certainly will have a place for certain people as i have a friend now who weighs 250kg maybe more 10XL shirts gets things from the usa.
For many don’t need them, they’re simply lazy and eat way to much.
Aggravating_Speed665 on
What goes up comes down.
There’s gonna be a long term side effect we’ve not seen yet. There always is.
WinHour4300 on
And what will be dropped to pay for these free weight loss jabs and all the required appointments and check ups?
We already have a health service on its knees without expanding by offering weight loss drugs that cost hundreds a week to millions.
As well many who are paying privately will decide to get them free on the NHS once available.
VindicoAtrum on
The NHS is abysmally bad at “spend more now to spend much less in the future” so good luck with getting any actual progress on this.
brainburger on
I’m using Wegovy and it’s miraculous. I have been careful with my food but worked sitting down for years, and I find it hard to lose weight. Wegovy makes it easier to resist snacks and have smaller meals and it seems to have killed my appetite for beer and wine too. I’m on track to a better BMI band, with very little effort and side effects.
I’ve stayed on the lowest dose which works and I feel hopeful that I won’t rebound as my habits have changed.
jdm1891 on
These things could save the economy and NHS £100 billion, but all the NHS in it’s current hollowed out semi-privatised state will see is the £200 million price tag and claim they’re too expensive.
21 Comments
* A UK study presented at the European Congress on Obesity found GLP-1 weight-loss drugs significantly reduced sickness absence and NHS usage among obese patients.
* The study followed 1,270 NHS patients enrolled in Oviva’s tier 3 weight management programme. Patients received GLP-1 injections plus clinical support.
* Most patients used semaglutide-based drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic.
* Participants lost an average of 12.4% of body weight over nine months. Average BMI fell from 45 to 39.
* Sick days fell by 45%, while long-term sickness absence (5+ days) dropped by 56%.
* GP demand also declined sharply:
* In-person GP visits fell 43%
* Remote consultations fell 48%
* Over 60% of patients stopped contacting their GP entirely during the study period
* A separate study of 738 patients found A&E attendance fell by about 25%.
* Researchers estimate that expanding access to eligible NHS patients in England could:
* Free up nearly 10 million GP appointments annually
* Save the NHS about £364 million per year
* Reduce pressure on GP services by roughly 3% of the core GP budget
* Martin Fidock argued obesity is a major contributor to Britain’s productivity problems and said treatment improves work participation as well as health outcomes.
* Tony Blair Institute policy director Charlotte Refsum said broader access to anti-obesity drugs could generate both economic gains and NHS savings.
* Two additional Danish studies suggested possible secondary benefits of GLP-1 drugs:
* Asthma exacerbations fell 26% among overweight or diabetic asthma patients taking semaglutide or liraglutide
* Pneumonia events fell 10%
* Use of asthma inhalers and corticosteroids also declined
* Another study found young adults (18–35) taking Wegovy had an 18% reduction in migraine triptan medication use.
* Researchers stressed that more studies are needed to confirm causation, determine dose effects, and see whether similar benefits apply across other GLP-1 drugs.
I personally *love* GLP1s. They’re such a beneficial compound for those who need it (people who want to lose weight but need help with food noise & appetite reduction).
They are also (independent of weight loss), cardio protective, improve dyslipidemia, reduce inflamation etc. They are straight up health drugs.
Once the oral version becomes more available I’m tempted to maintain a low dose year round for the health benefits.
Otherwise, I layer in Tirzepatide a few times a year on the lead-up to & including summer and again if I’m cutting down to race weight ahead of a triathlon. The QOL is well worth it since you can cut much more comfortably.
Fantastic drugs and the faster we can roll these out the better. And cheaper.
Inb4 the endless comment of people complaining about these drugs and that people should eat less and exercise.
Obesity has been rising for decades. We have a hugely obese population. Whatever we’ve been doing, it’s failed. These drugs are succeeding and all the evidence shows taking these drugs is safer than staying obese.
I’ve used them and they’ve completely changed my eating habits, those changes have stayed when I stop using the drug
People will always say “eat less and Exercise more” instead of relying on these drugs. The undeniable fact right now is the UK has a massive obesity crisis which is ruining the NHS. Morbidly obese individuals, require more care than non obese counterparts and often they receive less quality care as standard equipment is not built for people over 150kg. Ideally food therapy and exercise classes would run concurrently with weight loss jabs to form habits but the NHS cannot fund another branch of heathcare that realistically should be taken up by the individuals themselves.
Give people the jabs, let them loss the weight and hope they take that as motivation to improve exercise / fitness and eating habits. No need to demonise weightloss jabs because you think its the easy way out. Im sure people taking them could tell a multitude if stories about the side effects it has on their digestive system. Probably not all rainbows and unicorns injecting yourself daily either
Can’t wait for all the comments dressed up as concern that really mean “I don’t like fat people. Fat people don’t deserve something to make their life easier. They should struggle their way through dieting or they should stay fat”.
I took these drugs and they turned my life around. The sooner they’re available for everyone in the UK who’s overweight, the better.
I actually saved money on them as stopped spending £50 a week on takeaways.
I don’t know much about these drugs, and i wonder how they work.
Can obese people still gorge themselves but they don’t put on weight?
They’re incredible things. I am at a healthy BMI for the first time in years. The more weight I have lost, the more active I have become and the more I enjoy that activity. I can’t stand the thought of certain foods now and genuinely enjoy muesli and yoghurt more than fried potato cakes these days, which is not something I ever thought I would say!
But it’s the unexpected effects that have really impressed me. My interest in alcohol is minimal: I drink maybe once a week now and when I do it’s 2-3 drinks tops and I just don’t want any more. I vape so much less. They’ve not just taken away the desperate urge to eat, eat, eat, they’ve massively reduced that whole ‘I need to consume *something* to feel ok’ aching desperate emptiness that I didn’t even realise was there until the jabs made it go away.
I use wegovy and the cost to me is £120 a month. I spent more than that on alcohol and snacks and so on before I started this, it’s not at all expensive in context.
Presumably anyone taking the jabs on the NHS is told of the side effects and takes the responsibility? I can see in 10 years’ time the NHS being sued for millions if certain side effects are a long term disadvantage.
There absolutely has to be a catch to the magical weight loss jab
It’s a good idea, much in the same way statins help because they keep people out of cardiovascular wards
Weight-loss jabs needs to come with the person actually going to the gym/ exercising properly though as well.
If people aren’t proving they are also doing that at the same time, they shouldn’t be allowed the jabs, from the NHS.
They need to factor in removing the gallbladders of even more people into their calculations.
I lost nothing but my gallbladder on GLP-1s. They don’t work for everyone.
there’s also growing evidence that GLP-1s may be an effective treatment for certain chronic conditions such as ME, MCAS and more. as someone who’s bedbound with ME, it actually gives me some hope.
The availability (or lack thereof) of Mounjaro and Ozempic on the NHS shows just how badly Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting have fucked up with Labour’s electoral pledges.
The notion that waiting lists have gone down is complete horse-shit.
I have a friend from a deprived part of Southern Wales who is obese, suffers from fibromyalgia which limits her ability to exercise, and who is now having to go through gastric sleeve surgery (privately out of her own pocket), because [there is a decade-long waiting list to be prescribed Mounjaro on the NHS ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v6nlke70qo), and that stuff is expensive as hell from private sources.
Yes I could also put this failure on Eluned Morgan since she was until recently the First Minister of Wales, but still.
This, and Labour’s inaction on immigration, is why Farage looks set to win the next general election.
I was 170kg and now weigh 85kg to 89kg. Took time and some years and many different ways to train and eat different ways also. People really need to try harder before taking these as when you stop likely hood you can return to being big. These certainly will have a place for certain people as i have a friend now who weighs 250kg maybe more 10XL shirts gets things from the usa.
For many don’t need them, they’re simply lazy and eat way to much.
What goes up comes down.
There’s gonna be a long term side effect we’ve not seen yet. There always is.
And what will be dropped to pay for these free weight loss jabs and all the required appointments and check ups?
We already have a health service on its knees without expanding by offering weight loss drugs that cost hundreds a week to millions.
As well many who are paying privately will decide to get them free on the NHS once available.
The NHS is abysmally bad at “spend more now to spend much less in the future” so good luck with getting any actual progress on this.
I’m using Wegovy and it’s miraculous. I have been careful with my food but worked sitting down for years, and I find it hard to lose weight. Wegovy makes it easier to resist snacks and have smaller meals and it seems to have killed my appetite for beer and wine too. I’m on track to a better BMI band, with very little effort and side effects.
I’ve stayed on the lowest dose which works and I feel hopeful that I won’t rebound as my habits have changed.
These things could save the economy and NHS £100 billion, but all the NHS in it’s current hollowed out semi-privatised state will see is the £200 million price tag and claim they’re too expensive.