Experts say an alternative can have the same results at a fraction of the cost
Experts have questioned the future benefits of weight loss injections after new research. Jabs, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, have been hailed as gamechangers with massive boosts for people wanting to shed pounds.
People taking part in clinical trials lost an average of 15%-20% of their body weight. The results have been dubbed “almost miraculous” when compared to traditional diet and exercise programmes.
However scientists are now asking questions over the future of the medication after a study found what happened next. For new research shows the weight can go back on quickly once the medication is stopped.
Writing in The Conversation experts Sam West, Postdoctoral Researcher, Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Dimitrios Koutoukidis, Senior Researcher, Behavioural Science, University of Oxford and Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford have examined the findings. And they have questioned if the medication is cost-effective if people have to take it long term.
They said: “Today, one in 50 people in the UK are using these treatments. Most of them – around 90% – are paying privately, at a cost of £120-£250 per month. But there’s a catch: more than half of people stop taking the drugs within a year, with cost being the main reason.
“Our latest research reveals what happens next, and it’s sobering. On average, in clinical trials, people regain all the weight they lost within just 18 months of stopping the medication.
“That’s surprisingly quick – almost four times faster than the weight regain seen after stopping weight-loss programmes based on diet and physical activity. The health improvements vanish too, with blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels returning to where they started.
“This matters because it means these drugs may need to be taken long-term – potentially for life – to maintain the benefits. Some private providers offer intensive support alongside the medication, and our review showed this helped people lose on average an extra 4.6kg. But there was no evidence that support during or after stopping the drugs helped to slow weight regain.”
They said this rapid rebound “raises serious questions” about fairness and whether these treatments represent good value for the NHS. “Obesity is far more common among people living in deprived areas, who are also least able to afford private treatment,” they said. “NHS access is crucial to ensuring everyone gets equal care, regardless of their income.”
At present only people with severe obesity (BMI over 40) and four obesity-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, can get the medication. Others must pay privately and while costs might eventually fall it could take years. The experts warned: “In the meantime, we need to make sure NHS access to these medications delivers the best possible value so more people can benefit.
“The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved these drugs for NHS use because it judged them cost-effective by its usual standards. But those calculations assumed treatment would last two years, with weight being regained after three years of stopping. Our data shows that if treatment ends, weight comes back surprisingly quickly.”
The said improvements in things like blood pressure and cholesterol – the main reasons the NHS treats obesity – disappeared within the same timescale which means the treatments may need to be continued long term which completely changes the cost calculations.
They added: “More research is needed to estimate how cost-effective these medications really are, outside carefully controlled clinical trials, and for the actual patients being treated. For people with obesity who don’t yet qualify for the medication based on the strict NHS criteria, the medication may not be cost-effective for widespread NHS use until the price drops substantially.
“For this population, traditional weight management programmes remain the foundation of obesity treatment. Total diet replacement programmes, during which people eat nutritionally balanced soups and shakes instead of regular food for eight to 12 weeks, can achieve similar weight loss to the medications at a fraction of the cost.
“Group-based weight-loss programmes, such as WW and Slimming World, achieve smaller average weight losses but can be cost-effective and even save the NHS money.
“The new weight-loss medications have shown just how desperately people want help to lose weight. But the question of value for money remains unclear.
“Making cheaper weight-loss programmes available to anyone with obesity who wants support would allow fairer access to treatment and improve public health, though individual results are likely to be less dramatic than what could be achieved with long-term medication.”
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