Experts warn that weight-loss jabs may need to be taken for life

Experts suggest that weight-loss jabs may require long-term use to achieve lasting benefits for both patients and the NHS.

These drugs, marketed under names such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, function by curbing food cravings. Currently, obese patients can access these injections through NHS prescriptions, following referrals to specialist weight loss clinics typically based in hospitals. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of individuals are obtaining the medication privately through pharmacies.

There have been warnings about buying potentially unsafe jabs online from unregulated retailers and potentially missing out on wraparound support.

Experts said the jabs should not be seen as the first option in weight loss and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and increasing exercise.

Professor Graham Easton, a GP who has been using weight loss jabs himself, said: “I think it’s a major issue about the proper funding and resourcing of not only the GPs in the surgeries but also the wraparound care we talked about.

“I think the other issue is that so far, to my knowledge, the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have talked about this being something you take for two years, and that’s probably related to data from research studies.

“But as we discussed, this is likely to be a lifelong commitment if it is going to be worthwhile to the NHS.

“There’s no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back.

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Source: The Independent, 8 June 2025