Nearly 10,000 ‘fat jabs’ issued every month by NHS Scotland

Scotland’s NHS is handing out record numbers of the controversial weight-loss injections beloved by celebrities.

According to new analysis by The Sunday Post, almost 10,000 so-called “fat jabs” are now prescribed every month by the country’s health service.

Drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have become household names – partly thanks to the ­dramatic slimming effect they can produce, and partly thanks to the huge number of high-profile showbusiness figures who have admitted using them.

Although they have been available to buy for a number of years, the NHS in Scotland only started prescribing weight-loss injections last year.

Given Scotland’s well-documented battle with obesity, it’s not surprising that patients have been flocking to their ­doctors to ask for the drugs.

And now figures have revealed just how quickly demand is soaring – along with the cost to the NHS.

Demand soaring for ‘fat jabs’

According to official prescribing data, in January the Scottish health service dished out 8,207 injectable pens containing Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic – worth £692,000. Just two months later, in March, the number of jabs prescribed had jumped by 20% to 9,825. The cost meanwhile had leapt 22% to a monthly total of £847,000.

The record number of prescriptions suggests there is also a record number of patients getting the injections – although the available data doesn’t specify exactly how many.

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said weight-loss drugs could be extremely effective – but warned that society should not rely on them to tackle obesity. He said: “There is no doubt these drugs works for a significant number of people. It’s not uncommon to see patients who take them losing 15% of their body weight.

“But unless they’re taken under proper medical supervision, and unless a patient receives proper help to change their diet and lifestyle, the weight just piles back on once the course of treatment ends.”

He added: “A proper prevention strategy is needed where children from pre-school onwards learn about diet and exercise.”

In Scotland, two thirds of adults are classed as overweight – the highest figure of any UK nation and one that has grown dramatically over the last 30 years. More than a quarter are officially obese, with obesity now ranked as the leading cause of illness – and linked to 23% of all Scottish deaths.

In recent years treatment has been revolutionised by drugs that suppress the appetite by tricking the brain into thinking the stomach is full.

The jabs

The best-known version is Ozempic – containing a compound called semaglutide – which is used alongside diet and exercise to treat type 2 diabetes. Although it cannot be prescribed specifically for weight loss, many patients who take it lose weight as a side-effect.

Semaglutide can however be prescribed for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy, as “an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management”.

A similar drug called tirzepatide is also approved for weight loss in Scotland under the brand name Mounjaro. To qualify, patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 30 – or a BMI of 27 plus at least one weight-related health condition.

Figures show that prescriptions for Wegovy and Mounjaro – specifically targeting weight loss – are rising sharply. Between January and March this year the monthly number of Wegovy injections prescribed jumped 40% from 305 to 426, while the number of Mounjaro jabs leapt 35% from 3,440 to 4,656.

The drugs are prescribed as pre-filled pens for self-injection. Common side effects can include nausea and diarrhoea. Dramatic or sudden weight loss can also leave users looking gaunt or saggy – a condition nicknamed Ozempic face.

And just last week the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) launched a study into potential serious side-effects after ­hundreds of people reported pancreas problems.

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The watchdog asked people on weight-loss drugs who have been hospitalised by acute pancreatitis to get in touch – although it stressed there is not yet any confirmed link.

However, other research has linked the drugs to a host of possible benefits – including improvements in cardiovascular health, kidney health, and even a reduction in the risk of dementia.

A host of celebrities have spoken about their ­experiences of weight-loss ­injections, including US broadcasting legend Oprah Winfrey, who declared the drugs had given her a “sense of hope” – and finally allowed her to stop “blaming” herself for being unable to control her body shape just by willpower.

Meanwhile, the singer Lizzo this month revealed she had tried Ozempic but found dropping processed foods from her diet had been just as effective.