2.5m Brits now on weight loss jabs but Labour wants even more

Patient Preparing opening Weight Loss Injection Pen with Semaglutide Solution

One in 20 British adults are on weight loss drugs. (Image: Getty)

One in 20 Britsh adults are now on weight loss drugs as the health secretary vows to get even more people taking them. Though the jabs are rarely available on the NHS, a whopping 2.5 million people across the UK have got their hands on them. Sales of Mounjaro and Wegovy, two of the most popular treatments, were up sevenfold from the year before in July, The Telegraph reports.

Data from the life science analytics company Iqvia revealed that Brits bought 2.49 million packs of Mounjaro and Wegovy that month, a staggering increase from 493,000 in July 2024. Sales also increased by one million between July and August, believed to be because users stockpiled the drugs in response to proposed price hikes.

Injections for weight loss with Semaglutide. An obese woman gives a hormonal injection into the abdomen with a pen syringe.

The jabs work by reducing your appetite so you eat less. (Image: Getty)

Most of the treatments, more than nine in 10, were purchased privately, with some pharmacies charging up to £389 a month.

This comes as Wes Streeting attempts to make the medication even more readily available and accessible for lower-income people.

The health secretary said "the millions who can't afford them" are missing out, and promised to make sure the jabs "are available to not just some, but to all".

He added: "Weight loss jabs could help us finally defeat obesity. The wealthy talk about how they’ve transformed their health, their confidence, their quality of life."

Despite the fact that millions of Brits are technically already eligible for weight loss drugs on the NHS, just 220,000 people are expected to receive them over the next three years due to strict rationing.

Weight loss injections work by mimicking natural hormones that regulate appetite and slow stomach emptying. This makes you feel fuller for longer, which reduces calorie intake.

Some injections, such as tirzepatide (Mounjaro), also mimic a second hormone and can affect your metabolism and energy balance.

The overall effect is a reduction in appetite, which helps lower your calorie consumption.