Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve the availability of GLP-1 drugs to help tackle obesity.

Obesity medicines can be effective for some patients living with obesity when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity, and behavioural support. Exactly what is most appropriate for an individual is down to health care professionals to advise, in discussion with patients, and considering relevant clinical guidance.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended liraglutide (Saxenda) and semaglutide (Wegovy) as clinically and cost-effective drugs for weight management in adults in the National Health Service in England. NICE guidance includes eligibility criteria and, for some products like Saxenda and Wegovy, a restriction that these treatments should be used within specialist weight management services. NHS organisations are continuing to look at the best way to manage access to these treatments.

We are expecting NICE to issue guidance on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) before the end of the year. This could see it being prescribed by general practitioners rather than restricted to specialist services. To manage this, NHS England has proposed a phased rollout to make tirzepatide available in a way that is effective, affordable, and sustainable. Under NHS England’s plan, almost 250,000 people with the greatest clinical need could receive this medicine in the first three years of implementation.

Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local priorities, considering population need and relevant guidance. This includes the commissioning of NHS specialist weight management services. The licensed treatments for weight loss such as Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are in good supply.