Weight-loss jab Wegovy to be offered on NHS in Scotland

Weight-loss jab Wegovy will be offered for free on the NHS to patients in Scotland at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, as a treatment alongside diet and exercise for patients who are overweight and also have cardiovascular disease.

It was approved for use on the NHS in England in April with a rollout expected in the summer. Around 145,000 Scottish patients will be eligible.

The SMC said the drug could be prescribed to patients who had a Body Mass Index (BMI) higher or equal to 27 and who also had health issues that increased their risk of strokes and heart attacks.

More than a quarter of all deaths in Scotland are a result of cardiovascular diseases, the second most common cause of death after cancer.

The drug works as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that makes people feel fuller, which can help them lose weight.

It also slows down how quickly food is digested. Some people may experience bloating, nausea or discomfort as a side effect.

Patients can self-administer the drug at home using a special pen injector device.

Last month, the head of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh told BBC's Scotcast it was a "national disgrace" that the Scottish NHS did not prescribe weight-loss jabs to patients.

Dr Mark Strachan said NHS boards in Scotland were only using the drugs to treat people with diabetes, despite the jabs being approved for use on obese patients as well.

"If you imagine that a medicine for breast cancer had been approved for use within the NHS in Scotland two years ago and we were not using it at the moment, there would be a national outcry," he added.

He called weight-loss jabs "some of the most effective medicines I have ever seen in the entirety of my professional career".

The SMC published guidance on seven new medicines on Tuesday, including semaglutide.

SMC chairman Dr Rob Peel said: "The committee is pleased to be able to accept these new medicines for use by NHS Scotland.

"Semaglutide will provide a useful treatment option to help reduce major cardiovascular events in patients who are overweight and have cardiovascular disease."

Drug trials suggest Wegovy can significantly reduce the risk of future heart and circulation problems.

Benefits were seen early in the clinical trial, before significant weight loss occurred.

This suggests the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels, not just through weight loss, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation who is also a consultant cardiologist, said: "So-called 'weight loss drugs' like semaglutide have proven benefits beyond reducing the number on the scales – they are now considered important medicines for preventing deadly heart attacks and strokes.

"Today's guidance for Scotland will no doubt help save lives as cardiovascular disease is still one of the country's biggest killers.

"That's why it's so important that when we get new and effective medicines which prevent cardiovascular disease complications, like semaglutide, that they get to everyone who could benefit as soon as possible."

Each year in the UK, there are about 100,000 hospital admissions due to heart attacks. Another 100,000 people experience a stroke and around 350,000 people live with peripheral arterial disease.

People who have already had one of these health issues are at higher risk of experiencing more problems.

Experts estimate that disease might be prevented in about seven in 10 cases based on the best evidence.