Britain is planning to launch a pilot program to explore how new weekly weight loss shots like Novo Nordisk’s Vigovi could be given to obese patients by general practitioners, even though the drug’s market launch remains unclear .

The government’s announcement in March on a £40 million ($50 million) pilot program came after drug cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE recommended the use of Vegovy in adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index of 35 , but only within the National Health Service (NHS) specialist weight management plan. The timing of Vegovy’s launch in the UK – which will be only the fourth country to use it – is uncertain, however, after Novo rationed US starter doses last month to secure supplies to patients already on the diet, it may be available there. was overwhelmed by the demand.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that piloting and fighting obesity-related diseases could ease pressure on hospitals.

It will “help people live healthier and longer lives, and help meet my priority of cutting NHS waiting lists”.

The NHS faced a particularly difficult winter in England, with waiting lists reaching record highs and staff striking for higher pay amid double-digit inflation.

Obesity is one of the leading causes of serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and costs the NHS £6.5 billion a year.

The government said NICE, short for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, was also looking into the potential use of Eli Lilly’s (LLYN.N) Munjaro, also known as tirzepatide, currently used to treat diabetes. The treatment is licensed for use but is expected to gain approval for the treatment of obesity. Too.

It says a two-year pilot will be launched after new weight loss medicines become available in the UK.

delay

Novo’s inability to meet US demand for WeGo has effectively delayed its launch in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. It also had to overcome production problems at the contract manufacturer.

A company spokesman would not comment on any commitment to supply the programme, but said there had been preliminary discussions on the role of obesity treatment as part of the UK government’s ambition to get people back into the workforce.

Eli Lilly said its Monjaro drug could be part of the solution once approved.

The British government said only 35,000 people under specialist hospital services would have access to Wegovi, but tens of thousands more could be eligible.

Phil McEwan, CEO of health economics consultancy Heer Ltd in Cardiff, which advises Novo on market access, said the need for specialist services would have been a major bottleneck.

“You have to be referred for specialist care and that is not the easiest thing to do. The challenge will be to access reimbursement,” he said.

Keen interest in the treatment is already being seen elsewhere. Superdrug, one of Britain’s biggest pharmacy chains, said its remote prescription service was anticipating significant demand.

“Superdrug Online Doctor has seen five times the anticipated levels of registrations,” a spokeswoman told Reuters in April, declining to give numbers.

Outside the US, Wegovy has only been launched in Denmark and Norway, but major medical insurance plans there won’t pay for it, saying the health benefits won’t justify the extra budget.

The UK move is likely to reignite the debate over whether a drug is the right answer to the growing public health problem of obesity or whether there are other ways to encourage healthier lifestyles.

Dietician and senior lecturer at Aston University’s medical school Duane Mellor said drugs like Vegovy were a tool, not a solution.

“It is a political judgment to say that the government is doing something to deal with the health issues associated with obesity… We need to be very brave and courageous in looking at the root causes of access to health care and making healthy eating enjoyable.” Is.”

Simon Cork, a senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, said obesity had been shown to be “incredibly difficult” to manage through diet and exercise alone and Vegovy and similar drugs offered a step change. Did.

“Hence the enthusiasm from the general public and why the UK government is pushing to make the drug more widely available,” he said.

Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) which triggers the feeling of fullness in the body after eating.

Trials have shown that it, along with changes in diet and exercise, leads to an average weight loss of about 15%.