New weight loss jabs could be given to unemployed people to help them get back into work, Wes Streeting has suggested.
The Health Secretary said “widening waistbands” were placing a burden on the NHS.
The latest generation of weight loss medicine, like Mounjaro, could be administered to people in order to get them back into employment, and to ease costs to the health service, he added.
Mr Streeting’s suggestion, in a Telegraph newspaper opinion piece, comes as the Government announced a £279 million investment from Lilly – the world’s largest pharmaceutical company – on the day the Prime Minister hosted an international investment summit.
The Health Secretary wrote: “Our widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11 billion 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.”
Officials have also announced plans for new real-world trials of weight loss jabs’ impact on worklessness.
A study by Health Innovation Manchester and Lilly will examine the “real-world effectiveness” of anti-obesity treatment Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, on weight loss, diabetes prevention, the prevention of obesity-related complications, and the impact on NHS use.
The research will also assess whether the drug will reduce worklessness and whether it has any impact on cutting sick days among employed people.
Experts said the results of the five-year trial, which will take place in Greater Manchester, will “potentially inform the UK’s care pathway approach to the treatment of obesity”.
Mounjaro, manufactured by Lilly, has been hailed as the “King Kong” of weight loss jabs after a previous study found people taking the drug, along with support to make changes to exercise and diet, lost an average of 21% of their bodyweight over a 36-week period.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the long-term benefits of the drugs could be ‘monumental’ (Jeff Moore/PA)
NHS officials have suggested that the roll-out of the drug across England will need to be staggered due to anticipated high levels of demand.
Nearly a quarter of a million people are expected to receive the Mounjaro jab over the next three years, officials have said.
NHS leaders have proposed that people who will get the “greatest clinical benefit” should be first in line for the drug, which is to be offered with a “wraparound package” including diet and exercise support.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will publish its final guidance on Mounjaro and obesity later this year.
Mounjaro, which is made by Eli Lilly, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help manage blood sugar.
GLP-1 agonists are a class of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Other GLP-1 agonists include semaglutide – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus.
These medicines have seen a number of supply issues in recent months.
In his letter, the Health Secretary continued: “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.”
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A recent report by the NHS Confederation and the Boston Consulting Group highlights how economic inactivity in the UK has risen by 900,000 since 2020, with 85% of this due to those who are long-term sick.
The authors said that two main age groups are driving the rise in long-term sickness coupled with economic inactivity – 18 to 24-year-olds and 50 to 64-year-olds, with the older group accounting for 55% of all inactive long-term sick people.
In both groups there has been a “rapid rise” in people reporting multiple health conditions, the report found.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) and mental health issues account for around 50% of all conditions reported by people who are long-term sick and economically inactive.
Mr Streeting insisted individuals will 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”.
Most approved anti-obesity drugs are offered with support for people to make lifestyle and dietary changes.
Figures from the Health Survey for England show that in 2022, 29% of adults in England were obese and 64% were deemed to be overweight or living with obesity.
According to Government figures, obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer.
Obesity has also been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. The NHS spends around £10 billion a year – almost 9% of its whole budget – caring for people with diabetes.