One million people will buy weight-loss jabs next year as sales are rocketing, claim experts

ONE million people will buy weight-loss jabs next year, experts claim.

The wonder drugs’ popularity has exploded on the back of celebrity trends and blockbuster clinical trials.

Industry insiders estimate 430,000 people currently pay for their own slimming jabs.

They cost £150 to £200 per month through private clinics.

Patients are expected to take the shots for six to eight months at a time — and demand is still rocketing.

Rebecca Moore, chief operating officer of Simple Online Pharmacy which conducted the analysis, explained: “We are at a pivotal moment.

“These revolutionary treatments aren’t just reversing obesity at an awe-inspiring pace, they are having a hugely positive impact on people’s lives.

“The NHS cannot be expected to shoulder this alone and the private sector is showing its capacity to treat obesity at pace.”

An estimated 15.8million adults in the UK are obese — three in every ten people.

Weight-loss injections Wegovy — similar to diabetes drug Ozempic — and Mounjaro work by making people feel full to stop over-eating.

They mimic hormones released by the gut during ­digestion, putting the user off food and slashing calorie intake.

NHS prescriptions for semaglutide — the main ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — have skyrocketed with 1.2million doses given in 2023 compared to 81,000 in 2019.

The health service now spends more than £100million a year on the jabs for diabetics.

Experts say huge reductions in obesity could improve national health, boost the economy and take pressure off the NHS.

But patients must also eat well and exercise to keep the weight off and stay healthy.

Katherine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “Many people that need these drugs but cannot afford them are missing out.  

“Capacity of these services needs to be expanded, but if the NHS were to prescribe them to the millions of people that could benefit it would quickly be overwhelmed.

“Drugs alone will not be the answer to the UK's extremely high levels of excess weight – it is essential that we tackle the root cause of obesity.”

A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, said: “We are committed to addressing the growing demand for effective obesity support.”