Could weight loss drugs help to avert a national obesity crisis?

Today, the government announced a two-year pilot backed by £40 million of funding which will explore how weight loss drugs could help to tackle the obesity crisis.1 Rates of overweight and obesity in England have tripled since 1975, and now just under two-thirds of the population are overweight or obese.2 Obesity is one of the leading causes of severe health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, and it costs the NHS £6.5 billion a year. In 2019/20, there were more than one million admissions to NHS hospitals where obesity was a factor.1 The government hopes trialling new drugs,