Wes Streeting made the comments in an article in The Telegraph.
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New weight-loss jabs could be given to unemployed people in a bid to get them back to work, the Health Secretary has suggested.
Wes Streeting said that “widening waistbands” were putting pressure on the NHS.
Mr Streeting’s article in The Telegraph comes after the Government announced a partnership with Lily, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.
The £279m investment includes a five-year study of a new obesity treatment, tracking its impact on unemployment and dependency on the NHS.
The Health Secretary, who is also the MP for Illford North, wrote that the jab could reduce the number of people off work with long-term sickness:
“For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS”.
Mr Streeting hopes that this will bring economic benefits, saying “illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average.”
The five-year study hopes to gather data on the effects of tirzepatide, sold as the brand Mounjario, on outcomes not related to health.
The drug was authorised for UK use in November 2023.
Around 3,000 participants in Greater Manchester will be recruited to be part of the trial.
Over 60% of adults in London are overweight or obese, according to 2022 NHS data.
Use of weight loss drugs
However, experts have warned about the over reliance on weight-loss drugs.
Dr Dolly van Tulleken, speaking to the Today programme on Radio 4, said the plans assess people based on “their potential economic value” rather than their needs.
Researchers from University College London said that there needs to be more research into the long-term effects of using the medication. The 2023 study also suggested that “weight loss drugs alone are not enough for individuals to achieve health goals”.
Wider health measures
The trial is one of many recent announcements from Department of Health and Social Care, to support healthy living.
In September, the department announced plans to ban junk food advertising on TV before 9pm.
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HeadlineUnemployed could be given weight-loss drugs to return to work
Short HeadlineWeight-loss jab trial could reduce obesity
StandfirstHealth Secretary says that "widening waistbands" are putting pressure on the NHS.
New weight-loss jabs could be given to unemployed people in a bid to get them back to work, the Health Secretary has suggested.
Wes Streeting said that “widening waistbands” were putting pressure on the NHS.
Mr Streeting’s article in The Telegraph comes after the Government announced a partnership with Lily, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.
The £279m investment includes a five-year study of a new obesity treatment, tracking its impact on unemployment and dependency on the NHS.
The Health Secretary, who is also the MP for Illford North, wrote that the jab could reduce the number of people off work with long-term sickness:
“For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS”.
Mr Streeting hopes that this will bring economic benefits, saying “illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average.”
The five-year study hopes to gather data on the effects of tirzepatide, sold as the brand Mounjario, on outcomes not related to health.
The drug was authorised for UK use in November 2023.
Around 3,000 participants in Greater Manchester will be recruited to be part of the trial.
Over 60% of adults in London are overweight or obese, according to 2022 NHS data.
Use of weight loss drugs
However, experts have warned about the over reliance on weight-loss drugs.
Dr Dolly van Tulleken, speaking to the Today programme on Radio 4, said the plans assess people based on “their potential economic value” rather than their needs.
Researchers from University College London said that there needs to be more research into the long-term effects of using the medication. The 2023 study also suggested that “weight loss drugs alone are not enough for individuals to achieve health goals”.
Wider health measures
The trial is one of many recent announcements from Department of Health and Social Care, to support healthy living.
In September, the department announced plans to ban junk food advertising on TV before 9pm.
