1.6 MILLION Britons have used weight loss jabs in the past year and 3 million MORE want a prescription, study finds

At least 1.6million UK adults have used weight loss jabs in the past year, despite experts suggesting that users may have to stay on them for life.

And, sparking questions about potential supply chain issues, an additional 3.3million people have expressed interest in using the fat-busting jabs over the next 12 months, new research has revealed. 

According to best estimates, the majority of GLP-1 medications, which includes Wegovy and Mounjaro, were bought through private prescriptions rather than obtained via the NHS, raising concerns that demand may soon outstrip supply. 

The biggest ever review, spearheaded by experts at the University of Oxford, found that despite the jabs revolutionising obesity care, other weight loss treatments, such as dieting and surgery have better long-term outcomes. 

The new findings, published in BMC Medicine in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, also found that women were twice as likely to be on the jabs than men. 

Analysing data collected from 5,260 people representative of the general population, researchers found jab use was more common in midlifers, and those who had experienced recent psychological distress. 

Perhaps most shockingly, the researchers found that one in seven people using the jabs for weight loss alone were using medication not licensed for this purpose.  

Professor Sarah Jackson, a behavioural scientists at University College London and study lead said: ‘This usage far exceeds NHS England’s initial goal of prescribing these drugs to 220,000 people over three years.

‘Our findings suggest many people are accessing these medications outside the NHS. 

‘This raises concerns about equity given the costs of these drugs, as well as the adequacy of supervision and treatment,’ the researchers added. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently recommends that semaglutide – sold under the brand name Wegovy – should be used for no longer than two years ‘to ensure it remains value for the taxpayer’. 

Whilst there is no fixed time period for Mounjaro – the so-called King Kong of weight loss jabs – experts warn that it is already on the borderline for cost-effectiveness on the NHS, and growing demand may push them over the value threshold. 

According to the researchers, Mounjaro was the most popular jab for weight loss purposes, but participants – who were enrolled on the Smoking Toolkit Study – were also asked about their use of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.

The jabs, known collectively as GLP-1 drugs, work by mimicking hormones released after eating.

However, experts warn that withdrawing this hormonal fix can leave users vulnerable to rebound hunger and subsequent weight regain. 

It comes as landmark research found yesterday the weight loss jab users re-gain weight four times faster than other dieters when they stop taking the drugs – in as little as 18 months. 

Professor Susan Jebb, co-author of the study and adviser to ministers and the NHS on obesity, suggested people may need a lifetime solution – such as jabs or behaviour change support or both – to tackle obesity in the long-term.

She said: ‘What we’ve shown is that weight regain after medication is common and is rapid. 

‘Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition, and I think one would expect that these treatments need to be continued for life.’ 

The findings, along with increasing demand, are likely to raise questions about current NHS policy, under which Wegovy is offered for a limited period of up to two years. 

Around 2.5million people are currently thought to be using new GLP-1 drugs in the UK, with two in three Britons now classed as overweight or obese.

Under current NHS rules, only patients with a BMI over 35 and a weight-related health condition – or those with a BMI between 30 and 34.9 referred to specialist services – should receive the drugs.

However, more than half of local health commissioners in England are expected to tighten access amid cost concerns.