Deal with pharmaceutical company British government wants weight loss injections for unemployed people who are overweight
Rud Obesity costs the British health service 12.4 billion francs every year. The government is now campaigning for funding from the pharmaceutical industry.
15.10.2024, 23:02
15.10.2024, 23:05
dpa
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- The British government is campaigning for overweight unemployed people to inject themselves with weight loss drugs.
- This would both help the economy and relieve the ailing National Health Service (NHS).
- However, experts warn that medication is no quick substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
In the fight against obesity, the British government is campaigning for overweight unemployed people to inject themselves with slimming drugs. The drugs could help people return to the job market, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. This would both help the economy and relieve the ailing National Health Service (NHS).
According to Health Minister Wes Streeting, obesity-related illnesses cost the NHS 11 billion pounds (approx. 12.4 billion Swiss francs) a year. "Our ever-widening waistbands also place a significant burden on our health service," Streeting wrote in the Telegraph newspaper. "The long-term benefits of these drugs could be hugely significant in our approach to tackling obesity."
However, experts warn that drugs are not a quick substitute for healthy eating and exercise. "We trust doctors to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to prescribe a prescription-only medicine to a patient," said the Federation of German Pharmacists' Associations in response to an inquiry. "Prescription drugs such as "slimming injections" have risks and side effects that should not be ignored." These include headaches, nausea, diarrhea and exhaustion.
It is not yet clear what long-term effects the medication could have because the drugs have not been in use long enough. Also, when the drugs are discontinued, the majority of those affected gain weight again - which is why, according to current knowledge, they have to be taken long-term for decades.
Practical tests planned
Minister Streeting emphasized that people must take responsibility for a healthy lifestyle themselves. He told Sky News that the drugs should not be misused as cosmetic medication for an Instagram-ready body.
On Monday, the government announced a partnership with the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the producer of the weight loss injection Mounjaro.
The company announced investments of 279 million pounds (314 million Swiss francs) in the UK. The sum is also earmarked for practical tests on the impact of weight loss injections on unemployment and the use of NHS services.