The Health Minister’s comments coincided with the Government’s announcement of a £279 million investment from pharmaceutical giant Lilly…reports Asian Lite News
In a bold move to address rising obesity rates and their impact on the National Health Service (NHS), United Kingdom’s Health Minister Wes Streeting has proposed that weight loss jabs be offered to unemployed individuals. This suggestion, outlined in his column for the Telegraph, aims to assist people in returning to work while alleviating financial pressures on the NHS.
Streeting highlighted the significant burden that “widening waistbands” are placing on the NHS, revealing that obesity-related issues cost the health service approximately £11 billion annually, surpassing the expenses incurred from smoking. In his piece, he noted, “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 Health Minister’s comments coincided with the Government’s announcement of a £279 million investment from pharmaceutical giant Lilly, made on the same day Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted an international investment summit. This funding is expected to facilitate real-world trials evaluating the impact of weight loss jabs on worklessness.
The upcoming trials, conducted by Health Innovation Manchester and Lilly, aim to assess whether administering these medications can effectively reduce worklessness and influence NHS service utilisation. These studies will be centred in Greater Manchester, marking a significant step in understanding the intersection between health and employment.
The initiative aims to utilise innovative weight loss treatments, such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Mounjaro, which have shown promising results in clinical trials. Health Secretary Wes Streeting believes these medications could be “life-changing” for individuals struggling with obesity, enabling them to regain control of their health and rejoin the workforce.
The minister said that unhealthy eating impacts people’s lives, cutting their life expectancy. “Our widening waistbands are also placing a significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS 11bn pounds 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,” Streeting wrote in an opinion piece for the Telegraph.
However, individuals will still 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”, he said.
His proposal to use weight-loss medications comes the same day the UK government announced a 279 million pounds investment from Lilly — the world’s largest pharmaceutical company and the chief rival to Wegovy and Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk in the obesity drug market.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed support for weight-loss medications during a BBC interview, highlighting their potential benefits for both the economy and public health. He emphasised that these drugs can aid individuals in shedding excess weight, enabling them to return to work and alleviate pressure on the National Health Service (NHS).
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