UK to offer weight-loss drugs through app-based prescriptions

The UK has paved the way for easy access to weight loss injections by recommending prescriptions through online apps, preparing for the arrival of the new drug Wegovy.

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has compiled guide about the use of four weight control programs that would allow users to access weight loss drugs.

By downloading one of the four apps (Liva, Oviva, Roczen and Second Nature), patients can connect with specialists from the National Health Service who can provide support and treatment.

“It will especially benefit people who do not have access to specialized weight management services in their area or are on a waiting list, so they are not currently supported by a specialized weight management program,” says NICE. .

The technologies can also “reduce demand for specialist face-to-face weight management programmes”, NICE adds in its guidance, freeing up resources and potentially reducing wait times.

The NHS is struggling to cope with record waiting lists exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. about 7.6 million in June – and is chronically understaffed. Patients in some areas are routinely waiting four weeks for an appointment with the GP.

Meanwhile, in England alone, around 30 percent of adults are obese and 38 percent are overweight, according to a 2021 study. health survey. Obesity increases the risk of many other diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Offering weight management treatments through these apps can “improve access to medicines,” NICE says in its draft guidance.

The approach has been welcomed by obesity expert Carel le Roux, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.

“We should use technology wherever possible to remove barriers for patients with the disease of obesity to receive chronic care,” le Roux said by email.

Get ahead of demand

Since it was approved for weight loss last year, demand for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy has skyrocketed, fueled by social media influencers.

However, the company has launched in only four countries (Denmark, Norway, Germany, and the United States) and is restricting the number of new patients who can start treatment. This is because supplies are limited while production gradually increases, and patients starting Wegovy need to increase the dose steadily over a 16-week period and stay on weekly injections for up to two years.

Novo has two approved weight loss medications: Saxenda and Wegovy. Data from the trial showed that those treated with Saxenda, which is already available in the UK, lost between 5 and 10 percent of their body weight after 56 weeks. The newer drug, Wegovy, demonstrated a 15 percent weight loss over 68 weeks. But this medicine is not yet available.

“We do not have a confirmed launch date for Wegovy (semaglutide injection) in the UK,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told POLITICO, adding that they are working to make Wegovy available “as soon as possible”.

The spokesman said the company would also respond to NICE’s inquiry about using the apps to access its medicines. The guide is open for public comment through August 24.