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1h ago

Streeting Calls for NHS to Open Weight-Loss Jabs to Millions More

He framed broader access as a fairness test for the health service, citing ongoing talks with drugmakers over costs.

Wes Streeting, pictured here at Labour party conference, said he wants NHS patients to have access to new treatments as quickly as possible (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
Wes Streeting said a two-tier system where weight-loss drugs were only available to the wealthy must be avoided

Overview

  • Speaking at the Labour conference, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said access to GLP-1 weight-loss treatments should not be determined by ability to pay.
  • Since June, GPs have been able to prescribe Mounjaro to tightly defined groups, with the NHS planning to treat 220,000 patients over three years despite estimates that 3.4 million could qualify under broader criteria.
  • About 1.5 million people in the UK use the drugs and roughly 90% pay privately, with monthly costs running into the hundreds of pounds, including current Wegovy prices listed by Boots.
  • Streeting said Eli Lilly raised private prices in the UK after pressure from President Donald Trump and noted the government is negotiating with pharmaceutical firms; the price link was presented as his assessment.
  • He signalled openness to future weight-loss pills such as Eli Lilly’s orforglipron once approved, and he criticised Nigel Farage’s call for an insurance-based system as contrary to NHS principles.