SOARING numbers of slimmers have had emergency hospital treatment for suspected fat jab side-effects, with three deaths reported.
Figures reveal a 60 per cent rise in cases last year.
NHS doctors logged 133 suspected cases in hospital in the first 11 months of 2025, up from 83 for 2024. They included three fatalities.
Of those suffering suspected side-effects from jabs including Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic, 106 were classified as serious.
And 24 cases were recorded as non-serious, a Freedom of Information request by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency found.
In 2023, doctors recorded 20 cases of suspected side-effects, while the total in 2022 was just seven.
There have also been thousands of online reports made to the MHRA.
Some 1.5million people are thought to have bought slimming injections privately last year.
NHS criteria for a prescription include obesity and diabetes or high blood pressure.
Side-effects include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, pancreatitis, gallstones and fractures.
Model Lottie Moss, 27, was rushed to hospital with seizures after taking Ozempic.
Singer Robbie Williams, 51, blamed Mounjaro for vision issues.
And former PM Boris Johnson, 61, suffered from nausea and vomiting.
Weight-loss expert Leyla Hannbeck, chief of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “I suspect this problem will only get worse. There has to be better regulation or more people will get ill and there will be more deaths.”
A spokesman for Wegovy and Ozempic and one for Mounjaro said patient safety is their top priority.
Injection on work benefits
EMPLOYEES are being offered weight-loss drugs through their workplace benefits scheme.
Health insurer Bupa will begin offering the jabs this month — after Vitality did so last year.
While the jabs are not free, even with private health insurance, eligible members get reduced prices and free consultations.
But other providers, such as AXA, are not considering the injections.
Dr Katie Tryon, from Vitality Health, said: “The potential of weight- management medication to create healthier employees and drive business success is substantial.”
Dr Robin Clark, of Bupa Insurance, said: “Our approach combines trusted medical expertise, personalised coaching and weight loss medication.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of Wegovy is controlled through specialist weight loss clinics, while Mounjaro is available from GPs but only for the highest risk patients.
For Wegovy, a patient will typically have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. They will be expected to have tried diet and exercise already.
Mounjaro is available from NHS GPs for weight loss but only to a tiny group of patients, with the rollout starting with those with a BMI higher than 40 and with four weight-related health conditions.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
