Update on weight management drug Wegovy

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)  have issued a recommendation to the NHS, which under the NHS Act becomes a mandatory requirement to make available a drug called Semaglutide (brand name Wegovy®) as a treatment option for weight management. Wegovy® is the only brand of Semaglutide currently licensed to be used for managing overweight and obesity, which means it is the only brand to be approved for use in this way at this point in time.

The details of the recommendation from NICE is also more complex. The recommendation is that the drug should only be made available to patients meeting the specified criteria and should be provided as an additional treatment to the multidisciplinary support provided in a so-called “Tier 3” specialist weight management service.

The reasons for this recommendation are that firstly some patients experience adverse effects from the drug and also because the effectiveness of the drug has only been shown when dietary, physiotherapy and psychological support is also provided.

On 4^th September 2023 Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of  Wegovy® issued a press release confirming  controlled and limited launch of Wegovy® in the UK including priority supply to NHS eligible patients via Specialist Management weight services only. However, in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent there is currently no specialist (tier 3) weight management service through which to make the treatment available in accordance with the guidance. Plans are being developed to establish such a service.