Weight loss drugs could provide surprising economic boon for UK - £1,127 growth per person

jabs could deliver a staggering £4.5 billion annual boost to the UK by getting people back to work, a major study reveals. Experts estimated the potential benefits beyond immediate health improvements if all eligible patients were prescribed the revolutionary drugs. They found the medication could boost production value by an average of £1,127 per person treated per year. This included £327 from paid production - equivalent to avoiding five sick days.

Estimates suggest that around four million people could benefit from weight loss injections. But only 500,000 are thought to be accessing them, either through the or privately. The research, which will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, , this weekend, sparked fresh calls for the rollout to be accelerated.

Dr Charlotte Refsum, director of health policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said: " places an intolerable strain, not just on our health but our health system, our benefits system and our economy more widely.

"Tackling obesity through faster, broader access to GLP-1s should be a key priority for any government looking to drive both health and wealth in the economy."

Professor Jason Halford, former president of the European Association of the Study of Obesity and head of psychology at Leeds University, said: "Not only does obesity related disease have a terrific negative impact upon our health services in terms of costs, but it also has a negative impact on our wider economy, and that holds the UK back.

"If only for economic reasons, it makes sense to have effective treatments available for those who need them."

Amid skyrocketing demand and global shortages of the drugs, their use has so far been rationed by the NHS, prioritising overweight patients who are suffering from related health conditions.

But Prof Halford said there may come a "tipping point" as more versions become available - including - when the cost will dramatically drop.

He urged politicians to work together on a cross-party basis to address obesity and create "a much more productive and healthier country".

The professor added: "A booming economy will produce revenues which can be put back into the NHS. The problem is that's a long-term issue, and politics deals in the short-term, so it might be a couple of governments before we start really reaping the benefits of this.

"Potentially this could have a dramatic impact on the economy, but for me, it's the impact on people's personal lives, which is the big thing, that's great."

Weight loss drugs mimic the action of hormones that suppress appetite and make you feel full. Studies have shown that weekly injections can help patients shed up to a quarter of their body weight.

The economic analysis used a framework developed by the Department of Health to estimate the net production value associated with semaglutide drugs - marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and for type 2 .

It estimated that if everyone who meets national eligibility criteria were taking the drugs, the economy would be boosted by around £1.3 billion in gains from paid production and £2.9 billion from unpaid production.

Lead researcher Professor Robert King, a senior health economist at Lane Clark & Peacock, said unpaid productivity benefits had a less tangible impact "for certain healthcare or government stakeholders, but it's still important societal impact".

He added: "We actually found that the value of being treated with semaglutide was actually even more on unpaid than paid production - so that was equivalent to almost 12 additional days in childcare, volunteering and so on."

The average annual benefit of £1,127 per person included £327 from paid production, £736 from unpaid and £64 from reduced consumption.

The working age population (people aged 18 to 64 years) accounted for £3.2 billion of the total estimated savings to the nation, or 72% of net production gains.

Assessments used to decide whether treatments should be available on the NHS take into account the costs and benefits for the health service and social care.

However, they do not account for broader benefits to society. Prof King added: "What we're trying to do here was build the evidence base for [the argument] that this broader value should be being captured.

"We didn't specifically go into how it should be impacting the rollout, but I do think it does contribute to the evidence base that there is broader value that's just left on the table at the moment, and it should be being considered in some way."

Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine and honorary consultant at the University of Glasgow, said the report was useful and "suggests weight loss medicines are likely to have important, cost saving impacts for people and society including less sickness days, and greater abilities to help with other daily activities such as volunteering, caregiving and childcare".

He added: "This means the potential cost benefits for society from these drugs extends well beyond medical outcomes.

"That noted, the relative high cost of the drugs, and the system needed to prescribe and monitor them, multiplied by the number needed to treat to achieve such benefits means that the total costs for the medicines is still considerably greater than the likely total health and societal gains.

"This means for now, countries cannot afford to treat all those who stand to benefit, but rather must restrict use to those with highest needs and where costs are most likely to be recovered from health gains."

The findings are now being considered by the Government as it seeks to harness the power of weight loss jabs to get people back to work.

Describing Britain's obesity epidemic as "weighing down on our economy", Health Secretary said: "These drugs could have colossal clout in our fight to tackle obesity and in turn get unemployed Britons back to work, and we will carefully consider the results of this important research.

"This Government will cement our country's position as a global science superpower so we can harness the power of such pioneering new treatments.

"And the NHS will trial new approaches and digital technologiesto help deliver obesity medicines which could enable an even faster roll out."

Mr Streeting added that jabs are not "the only solution" and new regulations will come into force this year to reduce children's exposure to junk food adverts.

He said: "Each of us has a responsibility to look after our own health and not rely solely on the NHS. But there can be no doubt that these drugs will support our shift form sickness to prevention and be a game-changer for millions."