Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of GLP-1 drugs on combatting and preventing disease.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for licensing medicines, such as GLP-1s, based on an assessment of their safety, quality, and efficacy. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) then appraises licensed medicines based on an assessment of their clinical and cost-effectiveness, and makes recommendations on whether they can be recommended for routine use on the National Health Service. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in a NICE appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance.

The MHRA only assesses medicines within the indications for which companies submit evidence. Any extension of a medicine’s licence to cover additional indications would require a separate evidence submission. Similarly, the NICE only appraises medicines within their licensed indications.

There are a number of GLP-1s licensed for use in weight management, type 2 diabetes, and for cardiovascular risk reduction for adults who are overweight or obese. The NICE has recommended them as a clinically and cost effective option, when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity, and behavioural support, to support some people living with obesity to lose weight. For those living with obesity, weight loss can provide significant health benefits, reducing the risk of developing certain diseases as well as improving the management of some existing weight related conditions.

There is also research exploring the role of GLP-1 drugs for the treatment and prevention of wider diseases, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancer, and health related behaviours, including alcohol and nicotine intake. The MHRA and the NICE will consider the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of any wider use of GLP-1 medicines should evidence be submitted to them.