Drugs that help people lose weight will soon be given to many of the fattest people on the NHS to help them get healthy.
You can now get Wegovy and Mounjaro shots only from weight loss clinics, but you can also buy them by yourself. NHS leaders say their services have too many people and not enough help.
You use both Wegovy and Mounjaro with a shot every week. You give it to yourself in your arm, leg, or belly. The drugs act like the stomach hormone you make after you eat, making you feel full.
At first, most people get a small shot, and over time, it gets raised to a top dose. Most people on these drugs see weight loss soon, after a few weeks. A new study says Mounjaro works better than Wegovy.
Old trials found those using Wegovy, along with a diet, more moves, and help to change habits, lost over 10% of their weight in a year. Other tests for Mounjaro showed it can help people lose nearly 20% of their weight. But people who stop using these drugs can gain back lost weight.
Wegovy can be used on the NHS in England, Wales, and Scotland. A weight loss doctor must give it to you, and it's hard to see one. You must be very fat and have at least one health problem, like high blood pressure. If you are not that heavy but have heart problems, you can get it, too.
You should still eat less and move more. Per NHS rules, the drug can only be used for up to two years. The group that looks at all drugs, NICE, says Mounjaro should be used with good advice on food and moves.
Like Wegovy, at first only very fat people with health troubles, and who see a specialist, can get Mounjaro.
To slow down demand, NICE says the NHS can take over 10 years to let all get the drug. In the first three years, it may help 300,000 people.
Do not buy these drugs from places that do not have control. A BBC check in late 2023 found some online shops sell semaglutide with no doctor. It was also sold in beauty shops in Manchester and Liverpool.
From February 2025, new rules say online chemists must use better checks to stop people at a good weight or who have eating issues from buying weight-loss shots. These drugs will not be given to those who only fill out a form online or send photos. Now, BMI must be checked in person or by video and must fit with your doctor's records.
Most people who take these drugs feel sick or throw up. They may also get gas, hard or loose stools, or lose hair. For most, the bad side goes away; for some, the side pain is too much, and they stop the drug. Rare big risks are gallbladder and kidney harm and sad moods.
Doctors warn the risks get worse if people use these drugs wrong, like to quickly lose a small amount of weight, or if bought online with no control. These cases have led to bad, even life-threatening harm, like pain in the gut.
Tests show most people gain back the weight in a year after they quit the drugs, since they get back their old food needs. That is why doctors say people should eat better and move more while using these shots.
In the past, people said Wegovy ran out, but the drug maker, Novo Nordisk, says the NHS has a safe supply.