Weight loss jabs to be given to 3,000 people in trial to get them back into work

Weight loss jabs will be given to 3,000 people in a trial to explore whether they can get people back into work, The i Paper understands.

A five-year trial of the weight loss drug tirzepatide in Greater Manchester was announced last October but is not expected to begin until the end of this year.

The study will look at whether the drug, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, will reduce the number of people leaving the workforce as well as the burden on the NHS.

Eli Lilly, which makes the drug and is supporting the trial as part of a £279m investment in collaboration with the Government, said they are aiming to initiate the study later in 2025.

Martin Rutter, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Manchester and a principal investigator for the study, said the team is aiming to publicise details towards the end of the year once they have been finalised.

When it does launch, the trial is expected to involve giving jabs to around 3,000 people to help them back into work, an insider told The i Paper.

It will be run by Health Innovation Manchester in partnership with Eli Lilly, along with the University of Manchester and local digital trials company NorthWest EHealth.

Researchers will examine the effectiveness of tirzepatide on weight loss, and on preventing diabetes and obesity-related complications and the impact this has on NHS use.

But it will also measure how the drug impacts the patient’s employment status and the number of sick days they take.

When it was announced last year, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the trial was “key to building a healthier society, healthier economy and making the NHS fit for the future”.

The Prime Minister also said at the time that weight-loss drugs could get people “back into work”, describing them as “very important for the economy”.

Labour’s plans to get people back to work are central to their mission to grow the economy.

Plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP) in flagship welfare legislation were part of this drive but were paused last week after threats of a major rebellion from backbench MPs.

Any decision to restrict eligibility for the daily living component of the benefit, which is designed to help disabled adults meet the additional costs of their disability, will now only be made after a ministerial review.

NHS weight-loss jabs could soon be delivered to patients on the high street and in shopping centres as the Government aims to bring treatment closer to where people live and work.

The NHS 10-year plan published last week said ministers will work with industry “to test innovative models of delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients effectively and safely” in convenient locations, which may include “on the high street, or at any out-of-town shopping centre”.

Access to weight-loss jabs on the NHS will be expanded through new partnerships with drug makers – but there is no promise on when that will happen or whether the current criteria for who is eligible to get them will be broadened.

The Government and NHS England have faced criticism over the slow rollout of weight-loss jabs and the eligibility criteria patients must meet.

A Government spokesperson said: “Obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in real need, but we must recognise these drugs are not a replacement for a good diet, healthy lifestyle and exercise. 

“The NHS is trialling innovative approaches to treat obesity through new community care models and digital technologies to help deliver obesity drugs as part of a rounded package of care. This will help to deliver our 10 Year Health Plan, which will shift the NHS from treatment to prevention.”