At least 1.6 million adults in the UK have used weight-loss injections in the past year, despite warnings from experts that many users could be forced to take them for life.
Meanwhile, raising serious questions about supply capacity, another 3.3 million people have expressed interest in using these "fat-burning" injections over the next 12 months, according to a new study.
Estimates show that most GLP-1 drugs – which include Wegovy and Mounjaro – are obtained through private prescriptions rather than through the National Health Service (NHS), which has raised concerns that demand could soon outstrip supply.
The largest review ever conducted in the field, led by experts from the University of Oxford, found that while these injections have revolutionized the treatment of obesity, other methods of weight loss – such as diet and bariatric surgery – offer better long-term results.
The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, also show that women are twice as likely as men to use these injections.
Analyzing data from 5,260 people representative of the general population, researchers found that injection use was more prevalent among middle-aged people and those who had recently experienced stress or psychological distress.
One of the most worrying findings was that one in seven people who were using injections solely for weight loss were taking drugs that are not licensed for this purpose.
Professor Sarah Jackson, a behavioural scientist at University College London and lead author of the study, said:
"This figure significantly exceeds NHS England's initial target of prescribing these drugs to 220 people within three years."
"Our findings suggest that many people are obtaining these medicines outside the NHS. This raises serious equity concerns, given their high cost, as well as the level of medical supervision and quality of treatment," she added.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently recommends that semaglutide – sold under the brand name Wegovy – be used for no more than two years, “to ensure value for taxpayers’ money”.
While Mounjaro – often referred to as the “King Kong” of weight loss injections – does not yet have a set time limit, experts warn that it is already at the limit of cost-effectiveness for the NHS, and increased demand could push it beyond this threshold.
According to the researchers, Mounjaro was the most commonly used injection for weight loss, but study participants – included in the Smoking Toolkit Study – were also asked about their use of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.
These drugs, collectively known as GLP-1 medications, work by mimicking hormones that are released by the body after a meal.
However, experts warn that interrupting this "hormonal regulation" could expose users to strong rebound hunger and, as a result, rapid weight gain.
This comes after a major study, recently published, found that people who stop weight loss injections regain the weight four times faster than those who lose weight through diet alone – within a period of around 18 months.
Professor Susan Jebb, co-author of the study and a government and NHS adviser on obesity, suggested that many people may need a permanent solution, such as long-term use of injections, support for behaviour change, or a combination of both.
"What we have shown is that weight regain after stopping medication is common and occurs quickly," she said.
"Obesity is a chronic disease with frequent relapses, so it is expected that these treatments will need to continue throughout life."
These findings, along with growing demand, are expected to spark debate over current NHS policies, under which Wegovy is only offered for a limited period of up to two years.
It is estimated that around 2.5 million people are currently using new GLP-1 drugs in the UK, while two in three Britons are classified as overweight or obese.
Under current NHS rules, only patients with a body mass index (BMI) over 35 and weight-related health problems – or those with a BMI of 30 to 34.9 referred to specialist services – are eligible to receive these drugs.
However, more than half of local health authorities in England are expected to further tighten access to these treatments, due to concerns over rising costs. /GazetaExpress/
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