In a world first, UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has unveiled plans to give weight-loss jabs to unemployed people who are diagnosed as obese, with the aim of helping them get them back to work and turbocharge the UK economy.
The rollout of the fat-busting drugs will be part of a £280m investment in the UK from Lilly, the world's largest pharmaceutical company and the makers of weight-loss drug Mounjaro.*
As part of the investment, Lilly will conduct the first real-world trial of the drugs' effect on the unemployed, productivity and reliance on the NHS.
As it stands, Mounjaro has only been deployed to treat weight loss and Type 2 diabetes. As yet there is no empirical evidence of its effectiveness on non-clinical outcomes such as the economy.
Widening waistbands are holding back our economy
Streeting believes the new class of medication could have a "monumental" impact on obesity and getting Britain working.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he painted a bleak picture of the nation's health, saying: "As a country, we're eating more, eating less healthily and exercising less. The costs to the individual are clear – a less healthy and shorter life.
"Our widening waistbands are also placing a significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11bn (€13bn) a year – even more than smoking. And it's holding back our economy. Illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average, while many others are forced out of work altogether."
The scale of the challenge is huge
Obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer and a major contributor to ill health that prevents people from participating fully in work, according to a UK government spokesman.
It's hoped the UK government's collaboration with big pharma will herald a new age of technologically driven advancements that will improve the long-term health outcomes for those living with obesity.
A government spokesperson said: "For all the challenges facing the health of our nation, we have two huge advantages: some of the world's leading scientific minds, and a National Health Service with enormous potential.
"If we can combine the two, patients in this country can reap the rewards of the revolution in medical science unfolding before our eyes."
Proving the effectiveness of the 'King Kong' of fat jabs is crucial
Successful trials of Mounjaro, known as the King Kong of weight-loss jabs because it is the most effective injection on the market, are vital to Streeting's plan to get the obese back to work.
Greater Manchester has been chosen as the site of the first trial. Figures suggest obesity currently costs £3.2bn (€3.8bn) to its economy, about half of which relates to productivity losses.
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, said: "The results of the trial announced today could have a far-reaching impact on how we treat obesity globally, and our city-region is ready to make a significant contribution through our outstanding health data assets, R&D expertise, and the strong partnerships between industry, universities and public sector organisations."
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