Thousands of people with severe obesity are being denied access to effective treatment because the NHS rollout of the weight loss jab Wegovy is happening far more slowly than planned, research by Sky News shows.
Freedom of Information requests reveal that just 800 people had been prescribed the drug through hospital weight-loss services by the end of April – despite estimates by the Department of Health that 13,500 should have started treatment by then.
Sky News spoke to several patients who have been denied the jab on the NHS.
Ken Pollock is in severe pain from osteoarthritis, but has been denied Wegovy
One was told there was no prospect of treatment, despite needing to lose five stones (32kg) before surgeons are prepared to go ahead with a double knee transplant.
Dr Robert Andrews of the University of Exeter, who has run clinical trials of new obesity drugs, said access was a “postcode lottery”.
He said: “As a doctor, you go into the profession to try and help people.
“But we are unable to offer treatment to everyone who could benefit. And that’s really difficult.
“Money follows for other illnesses, but it doesn’t for this illness. And that’s really a form of bias.
“Seeing that within the NHS is soul destroying.”
The NHS used a text message to tell Ken Pollock it couldn’t offer him Wegovy
Under guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) specialist weight-loss clinics in England and Wales should have started prescribing Wegovy in December last year.
The NHS cost-effectiveness authority said that people with a body mass index (BMI) over 35 and at least one related condition such as high blood pressure were eligible for treatment.
But Sky News asked Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), which commission local NHS services, whether they made the drug available through tier-3 weight-loss clinics in local hospitals.
By the end of April, only 14 of 42 ICBs had done so, and they imposed extra rules to restrict access – such as only offering it to patients in life-threatening situations, including those who need to lose weight ahead of cancer surgery or organ transplants.
Dr Robert Andrews of the University of Exeter said access to Wegovy was a ‘postcode lottery’
In all, just 838 patients in England had been treated by then – a little over 6% of the 13,500 that NICE expected to be on Wegovy.
Ken Pollock, who weighs 25 stone and is in severe pain from osteoarthritis, has been denied NHS treatment with the drug.
He’s been told he must lose five stone before surgeons will go ahead with a double knee replacement that would allow him to exercise. At the moment he struggles to even climb the stairs.
But the hospital weight-loss clinic told him by text that there was a two-year wait to be seen and it was “unable to offer medication”.
“It’s so shocking,” he said.
“I considered going private. But I thought ‘no, I’ve paid into the NHS all my life’. So I’m stuck in a kind of loop and I don’t know what’s next.”
Dr Robert Andrews (L) has run clinical trials of Wegovy
Studies show people lose on average 15% of their body weight within months of starting treatment with Wegovy. The drug mimics a natural hormone and people feel fuller faster and for longer.
Dr Jonathan Hazlehurst, an NHS obesity specialist in Birmingham, but speaking in a personal capacity, said the findings by Sky News confirm research that he and others have done on poor access to treatment.
“My concern is that there are so many people that could benefit, but increasingly the systems are not in place to provide this care,” he said.
“Those able to pay for treatment can access it, but many more are left untreated or on long waiting lists for overstretched services that are not resourced to meet patients’ needs.
Sally Hardwicke pays £160 per month to buy Wegovy privately
“The availability of effective medications for obesity should be viewed as an opportunity to improve health but to realise this potential will require a significant funding investment.”
Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year and is linked to 200 different diseases.
Half of all obese people with three related problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, will be dead within 10 years.
Read more:
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Wegovy supply issues as private clinics stockpile
Sally Hardwicke decided to buy Wegovy privately after being turned down for NHS treatment, despite meeting the NICE criteria.
She has to ring around pharmacies to find a supply, which costs her roughly £160 a month. But she says the drug is well worth the money.
“I never used to feel full. I could eat a very big meal and still want more,” she said.
“Now my food is on much smaller plates and nine times out of 10 I don’t even finish what I’ve got.”
Sally said she had tried countless diets to try to lose weight, but the effect was short-lived.
“Even my boss said ‘why would you want to be putting that drug in your body?’ Because I’m desperate,” she said.
A spokesperson for NHS England said: “While specialist weight management services – which are required to prescribe this particular treatment – are commissioned based on local priorities, the NHS provides a wide range of support which is helping hundreds of thousands of people lose weight and live healthier lives.
“We are committed to working with the government, industry and experts to ensure that new treatments can be rolled out safely, effectively and affordably.”