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Medications dubbed 'weight loss jabs' may begin to be given to unemployed British people in a bid to get them back into work, according to the health secretary.
Wes Streeting unveiled the plans in an article for The Telegraph, writing: "As a country, we’re eating more, eating less healthily and exercising less. The costs to the individual are clear – a less healthy and shorter life.
“Our widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11billion a year – even more than smoking.
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"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 Government have also announced a £279 million investment from Lilly – the largest pharmaceutical company in the world.
There is set to be a study between Health Innovation Manchester and Lilly that will aim to determine the 'real-world effectiveness' of anti-obesity drug Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, with regards to weight loss, diabetes prevention, the avoidance of obesity-related complications, and the way in which this impacts the strain on the NHS' services.
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The research will further examine whether the drug has potential to reduce the number of people out of work, and whether it has any effect on how many sick days employed people take.
The five-year trial will take place in Greater Manchester, with experts stating that it can potentially 'inform the UK’s care pathway approach to the treatment of obesity', as per The Independent.
Mounjaro, which is manufactured by Lilly, has been dubbed the 'King Kong' of weight loss jabs and was approved for weight loss treatment in the UK last year, the BBC reported.
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A previous study determined that people who took Mounjaro, alongside making changes to their exercise and diet, shed an average of 21 percent of their bodyweight over 36 weeks.
Streeting added: “The reforms this government will put in place will open the NHS up to work much more closely with life sciences, to develop new, more effective treatments, and put NHS patients at the front of the queue.
“The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to tackling obesity. For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS.”
He also said that people would still have to take 'healthy living more seriously' as the 'NHS can’t be expected to always pick up the tab for unhealthy lifestyles', as per The Guardian.
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Officials at the NHS have made the suggestion that the roll out of weight loss jabs is staggered due to the anticipated high levels of demand among Brits.
They continued that those with the 'greatest clinical benefit' should be prioritised for weight loss jabs, which are planned to be offered alongside diet and exercise support.
Kya Buller