UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Experts warn UK weight-loss jabs provide only temporary relief from obesity, urging the need for long-term support and healthy lifestyle changes.
As reported by The Telegraph, health experts said weight-loss jabs are no quick remedy for tackling the obesity crisis.
More than 2.5 million people in the UK take weight-loss drugs, and experts worry doctors may focus on them instead of healthy eating and exercise.
Katherine Jenner’s views on weight-loss drugs and obesity relief
Katherine Jenner from the Obesity Health Alliance said weight-loss drugs offer only temporary relief from the chronic condition of obesity.
She stated,
“It’s not the quickness of it that concerns me, it’s the long-term effect. Obesity is a chronic, long-term condition and it’s not something that magically goes away. It’s not a quick fix, it’s a temporary reprieve.”
Ms Jenner expressed shock at the high number of people using new weight-loss drugs and highlighted potential risks from appetite-suppressing side effects.
She said,
“That’s a lot of people [on it]. We don’t know the extent of the side-effects, such as an increase in pancreatitis and gall bladders being removed.”
Ms Jenner said weight-loss injections could serve as a short-term solution for those at risk of chronic type 2 diabetes, but are not a permanent fix.
She warned,
“There needs to be wrap-around care and long-term support for people who are going to put the weight back on quicker when they come off it.”
What did Dr Charlotte Refsum say about expanding NHS access to weight-loss jabs?
Dr Charlotte Refsum, health policy director at the Tony Blair Institute, called for wider NHS access to weight-loss jabs such as Mounjaro.
The institute reported in May that expanded NHS access to weight-loss drugs could reach cost neutrality by 2035 and save £52bn by 2050.
Ms Refsum said,
“Anti-obesity medications are effective,well tolerated by those taking them and highly scalable. The government must follow its instincts and be bolder – providing faster, broader access in a more convenient way that meets them where they are – online, at home and in the high street.”
She added,
“The cost of treating obesity may be high, but the cost of not treating it is higher.”
What did Donald Trump say about Britain and weight-loss drug prices?
US President Donald Trump said Britain and other countries were “freeloading” on the US over lower payments for American-made weight-loss drugs, triggering months of hoarding.
Mr Trump wrote to companies like the UK’s GSK and AstraZeneca, asking for lower prices for US drugs and suggesting higher fees abroad.
In the letters sent to the heads of 17 pharmaceutical firms, Mr Trump argued that they “negotiate harder with foreign freeloading nations” and added that “increased revenues abroad must be repatriated to lower drug prices for American patients and taxpayers.”
Experts are split on whether drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy will keep rising in price or fall as new alternatives enter the market.
Wes Streeting’s views on weight loss drug access
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government will make weight loss drugs accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford them.
He told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in September,
“The wealthy talk about how they’ve transformed their health, their confidence, their quality …But seriously, what about the millions who can’t afford them?”
Mr Streeting added,
“That is a return to the days when health was determined by wealth. When some had access to the best care money can buy while others waited, and suffered. And I say never again. Because our historic duty – and our modern mission – is to ensure that the best science, the best healthcare, the best innovations are available to not just some but to all.”
How demand for weight loss jabs driving prices up in the UK?
Data shows 2.49 million packs of Mounjaro and Wegovy sold in July, up from 493,000 last year, reflecting the rising number of patients on the jabs.
The demand for Mounjaro and Wegovy has risen sharply, driving prices higher. Online and private pharmacies are now charging up to £389 per month, up from under £200.
More than 5% of Britons are now using weight loss drugs. Experts worry that Mounjaro, Wegovy, and similar treatments could become pricier, even with NHS support.
Diabetic patients in the UK
In 2025, over 5.8 million people in the UK had diabetes, the highest ever. About 4.6 million were diagnosed, while 1.3 million might have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Around 90% of people with diabetes in the UK have type 2, around 8% have type 1, and the other 2% have rare types of diabetes.
