Good news for obese UK residents

The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a draft recommendation for the use (and funding by the NHS) of semaglutide to aid weight loss in adults with at least one obesity-related condition (not necessarily diabetes mellitus). 2) and with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m², and, in certain cases, in people with a BMI in the range of 30–34.9 kg/m².

In addition, the BMI threshold was set slightly lower (by 2.5 kg/m²) for black people or South Asian, Chinese and Caribbean families - in line with the NICE recommendations for the prevention of disease and premature death among black, Asian and Asian people. other minority ethnic groups.

Semaglutide is an analogue of the glucagon-like hormone peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is released in the digestive tract after food is eaten. The medicine has a complex mechanism of action, and the receptors it attaches to are found in several organs including the stomach, pancreas, liver and brain.

The NICE recommendations assume that the patient will be able to obtain a prescription for semaglutide only in facilities implementing a specialized, interdisciplinary level 3 and 4 weight control program (Trier 3 and 4). NHS funded treatment will be limited to 24 months.

The basis for the development of the draft recommendation were, inter alia, the results of the randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial STEP1 (Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with Obesity), which showed that participants taking semaglutide lost an average of 12% greater weight loss than placebo (14.9% vs. 2.4% ).

Semaglutide is not the first GLP-1 agonist recommended by NICE for the treatment of obesity. In December 2020, the Institute recommended the use of liraglutide (along with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity) in adults with a BMI over 35. The most important difference between the two drugs is the frequency of administration - liraglutide is taken once a day and semaglutide is taken once a week .

NICE, thousands of islanders struggling with obesity are expected to benefit from taking semaglutide.

"We know that fighting overweight and obesity is one of the greatest challenges facing our health service, as nearly two-thirds of British adults are overweight or obese," said Helen Knight, NICE Program Director.

Government estimates show the current cost of obesity in the UK is £ 6.1 billion to the NHS. The indirect costs are much higher - that's £ 27 billion a year.

Source: NHS/Pharmaceutical Journal