Weight loss jabs like Ozempic and Wigoby should not be used to get an “Instagram perfect body”, says Wes Streeting as demand for treatments soars .
The Minister of Health said: Political hub with Sophie Ridge He said his views on the shot were “quite nuanced” and that while the results could be “game-changing” in combating obesity, it should not be “used or abused”.
Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second largest preventable cause of cancer.
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Studies have shown that people lose an average of 15% of their body weight within a few months of starting treatment with Wigovy, the brand name for semaglutide, also known as Ozempic.
This drug mimics natural hormones, making people feel fuller faster and longer.
But thousands of people who could benefit from it are denied access. As the development of medical services is slower than planned, Investigation by science correspondent thomas moore Found it.
Asked if he was concerned about the report, Streeting said: “My view on this is actually quite mixed. Some of these drugs have the potential to be a game-changer in terms of combating obesity. I think there are some drugs that have sex.”
“For people who are extremely obese, diet and exercise don’t really help them, and it feels like they’re fighting a losing battle. I think drugs can have a huge effect on maintaining health. “My weight is under control.”
“But what I think we have to be careful about is not to think of these drugs as an excuse for not doing the right things when it comes to diet, nutrition, and exercise, or to use them as beauty pills. Instagram Perfection A body.”
Streeting went on to say that if the drug were rolled out in large numbers, it risked fueling the rise in eating disorders and body dysmorphia, and that it should be used in conjunction with diet and exercise, rather than as a supplement. He said that.
“Drugs do cost money, and they cost money for the NHS,” he added.
“It’s great that the NHS exists for us and is free at the point of use… but that doesn’t mean we should use it or abuse it.”
People have ‘moved on from Brexit’
Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Streeting was asked about the Green Paper, which revealed that investment had fallen by 11% as a result of leaving the EU, and Mr Streeting insisted that people were “moving on from Brexit”.
The government’s new industrial strategy document opened with the Prime Minister’s remarks about forging closer ties with Brussels to ensure smoother trade and better business.
Asked why Labor could not discuss returning to the single market or customs union, given Labour’s ambitions for growth, Mr Streeting said: “People have moved on, the country has moved on and the EU has moved on.” Ta.
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“And let me say that we have no desire, not only here but also in Brussels, to re-examine these arguments or reopen matters that have been settled.”
He said his Remain supporters had warned about the economic consequences of leaving the EU and that it had become a reality. “It is a reality and we have to deal with it.”
“I think the sweet spot is to work as closely as possible with the European Union, while also showing the agility to work with and through partners in other markets.”
On scrapping regulations – an important message from Sir Keir Starmer At an investment summit with today’s business leaders. – Mr Street said this was no longer a “debate between left and right in British politics”.
“There is too much regulation in the NHS and in some respects… I think there is too much regulation in the economy.
“Sometimes simplicity is more effective. And that’s traditionally been the debate between right and left in British politics. But it really shouldn’t be. It should be a conversation about right and wrong. is.”