WEIGHT A MINUTE
Tory leadership candidate reveals they used Ozempic to lose fat – but ‘didn’t particularly enjoy it’
James Cleverly, Dame Priti Patel and Mel Stride are also in the running
TORY leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick previously used the Ozempic jab to lose weight - but “didn’t particularly enjoy it”.
Speculation has been swirling over whether Conservative candidates have been taking the wonder injection to shred up.
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And now the former immigration minister has confirmed he used the medication for around six weeks in the autumn of last year.
He told : “To be honest, I was overweight. I took Ozempic for a short period of time, didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it was helpful.”
Mr Jenrick added that he has since lost four stone in 12 months by exercising and eating better.
His rival Tom Tugendhat set hares running last weekend by publicly saying he was not using Ozempic.
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The jab is traditionally prescribed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes but is also being used to drop weight by suppressing someone’s appetite.
Mr Jenrick secured a campaign boost yesterday when the Tory deputy chairman Matthew Vickers quit his post in order to back him.
The ex-Cabinet Minister is currently second favourite only to Kemi Badenoch in the betting markets.
James Cleverly, Dame Priti Patel and Mel Stride are also in the running to succeed defeated Rishi Sunak.
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Conservative bosses are determined to stamp out public fall outs between the teams as the party licks its wounds from July’s election thumping.
The returning office has the power to publicly name and shame any candidate they believe to be behind personal attacks on a rival.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS JABS
What are they?
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, will also be available from pharmacies like Boots.
Meanwhile, pharma company Eli Lilly last month announced results for its own weight loss drug tirzepatide.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of , Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Both Wegovy and tirzepatide stem from drugs originally designed to treat diabetes.
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Tirzepatide is sold under the name Mounjaro for diabetes.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Eli Lilly said it will apply for a UK licence for tirzepatide soon, which could make it available to the NHS.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
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