financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
Britain to study use of Lilly's weight loss drug to get people back to work
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Britain to study use of Lilly's weight loss drug to get people back to work
Oct 17, 2024 12:50 PM

*

Study to gauge how obesity treatment impacts employment

*

Obesity costs health service 11 billion pounds a year

*

Health minister says impact of drug could be 'monumental'

(Adds details in paragraphs 4 and 7, NHS comment paragraphs

11-12)

By Alistair Smout

LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Britain will study whether

the use of Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) weight loss drug can get people

back into work and help tackle the high rate of long-term

sickness that has become a major drag on the economy.

Health minister Wes Streeting predicted the use of the drug

- a competitor to Novo Nordisk's Ozempic - could help transform

the health of the nation, after Lilly announced a 279 million

pound ($365.4 million) investment in Britain as part of a

flagship summit hosted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The deal included "a major real-world study" on the

effectiveness of tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro in Britain,

which could reduce the burden on the state-run National Health

Service.

Streeting said obesity was costing the NHS 11 billion pounds

a year and meant people took more sick leave or were forced out

of the jobs market altogether.

"The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental

in our approach to tackling obesity," Streeting wrote in an

article in the Telegraph newspaper.

"For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be

life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands

on our NHS."

The University of Manchester will coordinate the study,

which will have up to 3,000 participants, and collect data on

"health-related quality of life and changes in participants'

employment status and sick days from work."

Earlier this month, England's National Health Service

outlined a plan to give the drug to nearly a quarter of a

million people as part of a three-year plan.

Streeting said that while the drug would be a tool to tackle

obesity, people would need to make lifestyle changes too so that

the health service, already struggling after years of crises,

was not put under further strain.

"The NHS can't be expected to always pick up the tab for

unhealthy lifestyles," he said.

NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said the study would

provide valuable insights for the health service.

"Obesity is one of the biggest public health issues we face,

and we know weight loss drugs will be a game-changer," she said.

($1 = 0.7635 pounds)

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Hong Kong-listed Samsonite plans dual listing in hunt for investors
Hong Kong-listed Samsonite plans dual listing in hunt for investors
Mar 21, 2024
(Reuters) -Luggage maker Samsonite International ( SMSOF ) on Friday said it plans to pursue a dual listing in addition to its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to increase the liquidity of its shares and reach investors in more markets. Samsonite ( SMSOF ) did not provide details of the exchanges it is considering for the second listing,...
Oil eases on possible Gaza ceasefire, dollar strength
Oil eases on possible Gaza ceasefire, dollar strength
Mar 21, 2024
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Friday on the possibility of a nearing Gaza ceasefire that could ease geopolitical concerns in the Middle East, while a stronger dollar and faltering U.S. gasoline demand also weighed on prices. Brent crude futures fell 42 cents, or 0.5%, to $85.36 a barrel by 0203 GMT. U.S. crude futures shed 40 cents, or 0.5%,...
Ecopetrol's Reficar refinery awarded nearly 20% of McDermott common capital, company says
Ecopetrol's Reficar refinery awarded nearly 20% of McDermott common capital, company says
Mar 21, 2024
BOGOTA, March 21 (Reuters) - The Reficar oil refinery belonging to Colombia's Ecopetrol was awarded 19.9% of the common capital in infrastructure firm McDermott in preferential shares by a judge in Amsterdam, Ecopetrol said in a statement on Thursday. The refinery is located in the Colombian city of Cartagena. ...
Meta's Instagram down for thousands, Downdetector shows
Meta's Instagram down for thousands, Downdetector shows
Mar 21, 2024
March 21 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms's ( META ) Instagram was down for thousands of users on Thursday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com. ...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved