Weight loss jabs could soon be given to tens of thousands of people in the UK. It is planned the new scheme would lower rates of obesity and ease the burden on the NHS – but people are being warned they can come with some grim side effects.
The Government has announced it is looking to use weight loss jabs targeted at unemployed people living with obesity. Speaking to the BBC, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the drugs would be “very helpful” to those who need to lose weight.
And, as reported by Express.co.uk, health secretary Wes Streeting stipulated the jabs could be given to help people get back into work, while easing the strain on the NHS. “The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to tackling obesity,” Streeting wrote in a piece for the Telegraph.
In it, he claimed illnesses relating to obesity cost the NHS £11bn a year. But the plans have already faced some backlash with GB News host Andrew Pierce saying that this scheme is “punishing hard-working Britons”. “I don’t think it educates people about their diet, and I don’t think it’s very healthy, Andrew said on GB News.
“We do not know long term the side effects of this drug. That’s going to cost the taxpayer the NHS a lot of money too, because the cost is currently £150 a month.”
The latest NHS figures show that in 2022, 29 percent of adults in England were classed as obese, while a staggering 64 percent were overweight. As part of the Labour Government’s drive to tackle obesity it has just announced a five-year trial in Greater Manchester of the weight loss drug Mounjaro.
The trial, involving 250,000 people over the next three years, will look at whether using the drug will reduce worklessness and strain on the NHS. Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that produces Mounjaro, is investing £279m as part of the trial.
Currently there are only two injections approved for use via the NHS to aid weight loss: Wegovy (semaglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide). But these are only available through a referral to a specialist weight management service
While these have been shown to effectively aid weight loss efforts, especially when combined with regular exercise and a healthy diet, they are known to come with side effects – some of which can be particularly horrible.
Side effects
These drugs being administered for weight loss, some originally designed to help diabetes patients, are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. They work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone that is naturally released in the gastrointestinal tract in response to eating, making you feel fuller sooner.
There are a number of GLP-1 drugs currently in existence. Best known is probably semaglutide – sold under brand name Ozempic – to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetics. It is also sold as Wegovy, to tackle weight loss. Other GP-1 drugs include:
- Liraglutide – sold as Victoza for type 2 diabetes
- Liraglutide – sold as Saxenda for weight loss
- Tirzepatide – sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes
- Tirzepatide – sold as Zepbound for weight loss
- Dulaglutide – sold as Trulicity for type 2 diabetes
- Exenatide – sold as Byetta for type 2 diabetes.
One side effect you may have heard of is “Ozempic face”, however, according to experts at Harvard Health this is a side effect of any GLP-1 drug or any other cause of rapid weight loss. Due to a rapid loss of fat it can cause:
- A hollowed look to the face
- Changes in the size of the lips, cheeks, and chin
- Wrinkles on the face
- Sunken eyes
- Sagging jowls around the jaw and neck.
“If weight is lost in a more gradual way, these changes may not be as noticeable,” Harvard Health says. “It’s the faster pace of weight loss that occurs with GLP-1 drugs that can make facial changes more obvious.”
But the most common side effects of taking GLP-1 drugs are gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation, Harvard Health says. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) adds that there can be more serious complications.
It says: “As with all drugs, Wegovy can cause side effects. The most common are feeling or being sick, or diarrhoea. Rarer, but more serious, problems include gallbladder disease, inflammation of the pancreas and kidney issues.”
Harvard Health lists less common but more serious side effects of GLP-1 drugs as:
- Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that causes abdominal pain
- Gastroparesis, in which movement of food out of the stomach is slowed or stopped
- Bowel obstruction, a blockage that keeps food from passing through the intestines
- Gallstone attacks and bile duct blockage.
It advises seeking immediate medical attention if you have:
- Severe vomiting and diarrhoea
- Severe pain or tenderness in your belly
- Inability to pass gas or move your bowels
- Jaundice (yellow skin colour).