MORE than a million Brits will soon be given weight loss jabs on the NHS to slash their chance of suffering a deadly heart attack or stroke.
The weekly injection Wegovy, long hailed as a monumental breakthrough in the war on obesity, was today given the green light by the NHS‘s spending watchdog.
Studies on Wegovy have repeatedly suggested that its key ingredient semaglutide is a “game-changer” for heart patients, including those who didn’t even shed the pounds.
Roughly 1.2 million people are expected to benefit “within months”.
The drug, known as a GLP-1 agonist, will be available to those who have a body mass index (BMI) score of at least 27, meaning they are overweight, and already have a form of heart disease.
It will be prescribed in addition to other medicines like statins, and a reduced calorie diet and increased exercise, to help cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
READ MORE ON WEIGHT LOSS JABS
Experts today labelled the move an “exciting development” and “genuine win-win”.
NHS watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), said that clinical trials showed the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels.
One landmark trial, involving more than 17,000 patients who took the jab over for three years, found it reduced the risk of a major heart event by 20 per cent.
Nice said that its evaluation shows the treatment, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is “cost effective” for NHS use.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, added: “We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again.
“The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling.
“It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke.”
Helen Williams, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention at NHS England, also said: “For more than a million people at high risk of heart attack and stroke, this treatment on the NHS could be life-changing – offering a powerful new way to protect their hearts and improve their health.
“We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke face a much higher risk of having another.
“Used alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise, semaglutide could help prevent thousands of future major cardiovascular events and give many people the chance at a longer and healthier life.”
Health minister Sharon Hodgson said: “Weight loss drugs are proving to be a game changer in tackling obesity.
“Extending their use for people who also suffer from cardiovascular disease will be a life saver.”
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, added: “Today’s guidance will no doubt help save lives as cardiovascular disease is still one of the country’s biggest killers.”
Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: “We always encourage people to reduce their risk of stroke by maintaining a healthy weight, but we understand this can be a challenge for some.
“As stroke survivors live with the worrying threat of further strokes, it’s vital they have options to help prevent that from happening, which suit their own circumstances.
“As many survivors can be left with disabilities which reduce movement, weight loss medication could be a suitable option for them, when recommended by a medical professional.”
Wegovy was approved for weight loss on the NHS in England in 2023.
It is available under the different brand name Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Research by University College London estimates that 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used GLP-1s, between early 2024 and early 2025, to lose weight.
Mounting evidence has also emerged in recent years to suggest the drugs could prove to be lifesaving for a range of other conditions including asthma and even alcohol addiction.
Around eight million Britons have heart disease, which kills approximately 170,000 people per year making it a leading cause of death.
The British Heart Foundation estimates heart disease costs the economy £25billion a year.
What is semaglutide?
SEMAGLUTIDE, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, is a drug originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes and as an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management.
It works by suppressing the appetite – mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which is usually released after eating.
As a result patients feel fuller for longer, and reduce the number of calories they eat.
Side effects can include sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Other rare complications include gallbladder problems, kidney failure, serious allergic reaction and depression.
A study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found nausea and diarrhoea were the most common side effects.
But these were “typically transient and mild-to-moderate in severity and subsided with time”, researchers said.
Alongside the side effects, some charities have warned the drug could be dangerous for people at risk of developing disorders.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidance says the drug should only be offered to obese adults with at least one weight-related condition and a BMI of at least 35.
The weight-related conditions include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, unbalanced or unhealthy cholesterol levels, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease.
