One in four Brits say they would take free NHS weight-loss jab

By Hanna Geissler, Daily Express Health Editor

The medicines could beryllium revolutionary for obesity attraction (Image: Getty)

One successful 4 Britons would instrumentality weight-loss jabs if they were offered them for escaped connected the NHS, a survey has revealed.

The revolutionary appetite-suppressing drugs are disposable for patients who conscionable strict assemblage wide scale (BMI) criteria - but galore much are keen to entree them.

A survey of 1,078 adults by Ipsos recovered 24% of radical would usage weight-loss jabs if they were handed retired by the wellness service.

However, little than 1 successful 10 (7%) said they would bargain them privately astatine a outgo of astir £180 to £220 per month.

When asked astir their ain assemblage image, 4 successful 10 told the survey they deliberation they are overweight oregon obese.

READ MORE: Expert warns wellness systems could illness from immense value nonaccomplishment jab demand

The jabs enactment by suppressing appetite (Image: Getty)

Three successful 10 radical said they had a large oregon just magnitude of cognition astir value nonaccomplishment drugs, though this differed by property group, with those aged 18 to 34 much knowledgeable compared to 27% of 35 to 54-year-olds and 19% of those aged 55 to 75.

Ozempic is disposable connected the NHS for radical with Type 2 diabetes, portion Wegovy tin beryllium prescribed for value nonaccomplishment via specializer value absorption services.

In June, Mounjaro was recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) arsenic an NHS attraction enactment to assistance negociate obesity.

However, wellness officials successful England person since considered a staggered roll-out of the medicine owed to precocious levels of demand.

An NHS spokesperson said: "Weight nonaccomplishment drugs volition play an important relation successful helping the NHS tackle obesity, alongside our aboriginal prevention initiatives which volition assistance much radical to suffer value and trim their hazard of slayer conditions similar diabetes, bosom onslaught and stroke.

"But connected their ain they are not the beatified grail - they volition not beryllium close for everyone and similar each medicines they tin person broadside effects."

It comes aft the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) called for doctors to look retired for "signs of misuse" of value nonaccomplishment drugs among their patients.

Last month, the regulator warned that the "benefits and risks of utilizing these medicines for value nonaccomplishment by individuals who bash not person obesity oregon who are not overweight with weight-related comorbidities person not been studied".

The broadside effects of GLP-1 agonist drugs tin see nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Those who responded to Ipsos survey were besides divided connected whether the wellness work should beryllium offering the drugs to those with obesity.

Some 37% were successful favour of the treatments, adjacent if it means an contiguous outgo to the NHS, portion 32% said they deliberation the wellness work should not connection the drugs to radical who are obese, adjacent if this means that radical enactment obese.

The NHS spokesperson added: "The NHS provides a wide scope of enactment which is helping hundreds of thousands of radical suffer value and unrecorded healthier lives, and we are committed to moving with the Government, manufacture and experts to guarantee that caller treatments tin beryllium rolled retired safely, efficaciously and affordably."