Brits looking to get new weight loss pill on NHS may have to wait years as it hits delay
The Wegovy weight loss pill has gone on sale in the UK, but Brits hoping to get it prescribed on the NHS might have to wait some time.
It's another form of the weight loss drug which is available on the NHS in jab form, with people who meet a certain criteria able to get a prescription for the injectable form of the drug.
This is the first time a GLP-1 drug, which is what the weight loss range like Wegovy and Mounjaro are, has been available in pill form that someone would take once a day rather than injecting themselves once a week.
It's estimated that over 1.6 million Brits currently take the jabs, and demand for the Wegovy weight loss pill is expected to be very high as pharmacies have been preparing for a big demand.
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While the pill got approved by the UK's medicines regulator to go on sale at pharmacies, iNews reports that it could be some time before the NHS will be prescribing it to people.
Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, told the paper that it 'seems inevitable that pills for weight loss will be approved' by the NHS in time.
However, to get the nod from the NHS a medication needs to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their panel of experts.
They'll assess trial data from the Wegovy pill and determine how cost-effective it would be for the NHS to prescribe the drug to patients as part of their treatment.
It's a process that can take months or even a year, so 2027 would seem the earliest point where a person could be prescribed the Wegovy pill rather than the Wegovy jab.
Chemist4U's pharmacy head Jason Murphy suggested it was 'unlikely' that it'd become a prescription medication until 2028, noting that once a drug gets the thumbs up from NICE it then usually takes some time for the NHS to work out a rollout plan.
All About Obesity campaign group director Sarah Le Brocq said she hoped it wouldn't take too long and the first Wegovy pill prescriptions for Brits could be made by 2027.
So it really depends on how optimistic you're feeling and how long it takes for a couple of processes of approval to get the green light.
Who is eligible for Wegovy pills?
According to a press release from makers of the pills, Novo Nordisk, they can now be prescribed for 'eligible UK adults living with obesity or overweight with a weight-related condition' and they will be prescribed alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.
This includes people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above, or who are overweight with a BMI between 27 and 30 in addition to at least one weight-related comorbidity.
The starting dose will be 1.5 mg daily, increasing monthly up to 25 mg.
Initial doses (1.5mg, 4mg) are now in the UK, with higher doses (9mg, 25mg) becoming available in the coming weeks.
The tablet is taken orally once a day on an empty stomach and should be swallowed with just a sip of water to help your body absorb it properly.
They can then be stored at room temperature, unlike the jabs that need to be kept in the fridge.
Joe Harker