NHS urged to 'get with the times' and speed up rollout of revolutionary weight loss jabs

Groundbreaking obesity drugs such as Mounjaro could see the saving a hefty sum, but the health service must "get with the times" and hasten their nationwide distribution, Labour's Health Secretary has emphasised.

As it stands, around 3.4 million people meet the criteria for these revolutionary under existing guidelines, targeting those who are substantially overweight and have associated health conditions.

However, under the current rate of progress, the likes of Wegovy or Mounjaro could take up to 12 years to reach all eligible patients, despite the huge potential savings in treating complications arising from .

Stemming from research highlighting not just a reduced risk of heart attacks but multiple health advantages, Wes Streeting has argued that the NHS "can and should go faster" in disbursing these transformative treatments.

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The has disclosed that approximately 220,000 people have already received the jabs as part of an NHS scheme focused on those most in need, yet there are widespread beliefs, including those of the Health Secretary, that the rollout is moving at a sluggish pace.

A considerable number of UK residents have turned to private healthcare providers for access to this medication, also known as Tirzepatide and sanctioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

As many as 1.5 million individuals in the UK may have used this treatment in the past month alone, but the suggestion is that countless others could reap its benefits.

The Institute for Global Change has presented data suggesting that if weight loss injections were made universally available to 15 million individuals by 2050, the Treasury could pocket a staggering £52 billion in savings – an amount comparable to the annual Defence budget.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described the medication as potentially transformative for the nation's health, stating: "I want to see us put our foot down on the accelerator.

"We need to get with the times and make sure those who might not be able to afford these drugs are able to access them.

"I absolutely accept the challenge that the NHS can and should go faster and we're looking at what we can do to speed things up."