Weekly jab Wegovy, which can help patients shed 15 percent of their bodyweight, is now available on the NHS.
Estimates suggest up to 50,000 people could be prescribed the drug annually by 2027/28, dramatically cutting their risk of deadly conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Writing in the Daily Express today, Mr Barclay says the “game-changer” jab will help ease pressure on the ailing health service.
“Thousands of people who want to make a real change to their health stand to benefit,” he says. “That is thousands of patients who could avoid potentially life-threatening illnesses linked to obesity and thousands more of families and friends able to enjoy more quality time with a loved one.
“As well as helping people lead longer and healthier lives, tackling obesity will also aid us to continue cutting waiting lists, which is one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities for this government.”
Wegovy is the brand name for one form of a drug called semaglutide. It is also known as Ozempic when used at a lower dose for type 2 diabetes.
The jab suppresses appetite by mimicking a hormone released after eating, making people feel full. Its UK launch was described as “controlled and limited” by manufacturer Novo Nordisk, due to high global demand for the drug.
The firm said the NHS had been allocated a specific share of the supply but exact amounts were not disclosed. It will be dished out by specialist weight management services, alongside support with diet and exercise.
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said he was “delighted” to see the drug rolled out but “quite astonished that the manufacturers underestimated how much would be needed”.
He added: “This whole new set of drugs – Ozempic and others – there is a whole wealth of them coming through. “That will be wonderful for the people for whom it is intended.”
The 2021 Health Survey for England found 26 percent of people were obese and a further 38 percent overweight. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said Wegovy should be offered to thousands with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35kg/m2 – the upper end of the obese range – and at least one linked health problem.
People with a lower BMI above 30kg/m2 who qualify for specialist care may also be eligible. Experts have “waited 25” years for drugs like semaglutide, Mr Fry claimed. But he warned that the long-term benefits remained to be seen.
The drug can only be prescribed for two years and will then need to maintain their weight loss.
Wegovy is also available privately, with one online pharmacy selling a month’s supply for £199. The NHS rollout is part of a £40 million pilot to expand access to weight loss jabs, announced by Rishi Sunak in June.
Semaglutide has been praised by celebrities for aiding weight loss. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted he tried Ozempic and began losing “four or five pounds a week”, but stopped due to nausea side effects.
He nonetheless described the jabs as potentially transformative, adding: “I believe we are still in the foothills of what these drugs can do.”
Elon Musk revealed he had used fasting and Wegovy to shrink his waistline. And Kim Kardashian is rumoured to have used semaglutide while losing 16 pounds to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress for the Met Gala earlier this year.
However, Mr Fry said the drug should only be used under supervision and by those who need it most. He added: “I think it’s wonderful that it’s now available but it has got to be very tightly controlled – people should not be abusing it who don’t need it.
“I have always felt very uncomfortable at the way that people who simply want to lose a few pounds, like Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian, are able to get hold of it because they’re rich.”
Mr Fry also criticised a lack of action by successive Governments to prevent people becoming dangerously overweight. He added: “How much better it would have been if we had a strategy which was aimed at preventing people getting obese in the first place.
“The rollout should be accompanied by information and education about the dangers of becoming obese.” Dr Stephen Lawrence, associate clinical professor at the University of Warwick Medical School, told the Daily Express Wegovy was a “game changer”.
But he warned that weight loss jabs must be used in combination with action to tackle other drivers of obesity, such as socioeconomic and psychological factors.
Dr Lawrence said: “The big potential failure of this drug, as good as it is, is that it could be a big disappointment if people see it as being a panacea for treating obesity.
“The issue of obesity is not just a pharmacological one.” This new generation of jabs offer a “fantastic opportunity” to ease pressure on the NHS from weight-related conditions, Dr Lawrence said.
Helping people shed pounds will cut their risk of a raft of serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer.
And Dr Lawrence rejected the suggestion from some doctors that weight loss drugs are a lazy way to lose weight. He said: “There will be some doom-sayers who say obese people should not have these drugs because they have just made the wrong lifestyle decisions and obesity is a choice.
“They are short-sighted, they should wake up and smell the roses. “Overweight and obesity are clinical terms and we need to move away from that blame culture.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “Despite global supply constraints, NHS England is taking action to begin implementing NICE guidance for weight management, while at the same time working to restore supplies of this class of drug for people with type 2 diabetes.
“Around 50,000 eligible patients in England could be prescribed Wegovy through NHS specialist weight management services that are able to provide appropriate multidisciplinary care.”
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