Weight-loss jabs halve sickness absence from work and could dramatically ease pressure on the NHS

By SHAUN WOOLLER, EXECUTIVE HEALTH EDITOR Published: 23:01, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 23:01, 14 May 2026 Weight-loss jabs halve sickness absence from work and could dramatically ease pressure on the NHS, a major study has revealed. Patients in the UK who used the drugs for nine months took fewer days off sick, made fewer GP appointments and made fewer visits to A&E. Researchers say their findings suggest wider rollout could free up nearly 10million GP appointments every year and cut A&E visits by obese patients by a quarter. The new class of GLP-1 drugs, which includes Wegovy and Mounjaro, has already been shown to tackle a range of chronic diseases and aid substantial weight loss. Now the new analysis, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, in Istanbul, show the jabs could also boost productivity. It has led to renewed calls for the drugs to be made available on the NHS for everyone who could benefit as soon as possible. Health secretary Wes Streeting has said they could be a 'game-changer' for the economy, getting more people back into work. But they are currently severely rationed, with most users forced to pay up to £300 a month to acquire them privately. After nine months on the jabs, sick days fell by 45 per cent, with long-term absences of at least five days dropping by 56 per cent. The study by Oviva, which runs weight-loss programmes for the NHS, included 1,270 UK patients prescribed the injections because their weight was fuelling chronic illnesses. Martin Fidock, the firm's UK managing director, said: 'Britain is in the grip of a productivity crisis, and obesity is one of the biggest drivers. 'Hundreds of thousands of people are stuck on long-term sick leave, unable to work, costing the economy billions every year. 'Our data shows that when people get the right treatment - jabs combined with proper clinical support - they don't just lose weight. 'They get back to work, they stop relying on their GP, and they start living again. 'The government must urgently prioritise rollout to those who need it most. 'Failure to act means more people written off, more lives diminished, and a bill for the taxpayer that will only keep growing.' The majority of the patients included in the study were prescribed semaglutide, which is marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for treatment of type two diabetes. Martin Fidock, UK managing director at Oviva, said Britain is in the grip of a productivity crisis. After nine months on the jabs, sick days fell by 45 per cent, with long-term absences of at least five days dropping by 56 per cent. Comparing equivalent three-month periods before and after treatment, average sick days fell from 1.19 per patient to 0.66, while the proportion taking at least five days off work dropped from 17 per cent to 7 per cent. Meanwhile, patients spent far less time at the GP, with in-person appointments falling by 43 per cent, meaning an average of 0.95 appointments in three months, compared with 1.67 before the jabs. On average, patients lost 12.4 per cent of their body weight. More than a quarter (28 per cent) of adults in England are obese and a further 36 per cent are overweight. If the programme were rolled out to the 3.4 million people in England currently eligible for weight loss jabs on the NHS, it could free up nearly 10 million GP appointments every year, saving the health service around £364 million a year. This is equivalent to nearly 3 per cent of the GP core budget. All those in the study were severely obese, with an average BMI of 45, which fell to 39 after nine months. Dr Charlotte Refsum, director of policy at the Tony Blair Institute, said the study results are 'striking'  On average they were managing three serious conditions when they joined the programme, most commonly anxiety, high blood pressure and type two diabetes. A separate study of 738 patients prescribed the jabs found the number of A&E visits among the group fell by one quarter. Evidence is mounting that Britain's worklessness crisis is being fuelled by obesity, with rates among adults the highest in Western Europe. Research has previously suggested that obesity costs the economy around £31billion a year in lost productivity, with obese people up to twice as likely to be sent from work, stemming from the likes of joint pain, diabetes, depression and heart disease. Dr Charlotte Refsum, director of policy at the Tony Blair Institute, said the latest results are 'striking'. She added: 'Tackling obesity is not just a health priority, it's an economic one. 'Our work at the Tony Blair Institute has shown that broader access to anti-obesity medications could deliver significant GDP gains over time, alongside major savings for the NHS. 'This study brings that to life in the real world - showing not just substantial weight loss, but fewer GP visits and more people staying in work. That's the health-and-wealth dividend in action.' Mr Streeting said: 'Weight loss jabs have helped us cut the number of sick notes signing people off work for the first time in years, so we're rolling them out even further across the NHS. 'We're on a mission to get the nation healthy again and Britons out of their sickbeds and back in the office.' It comes as a separate study presented at the conference found using weight-loss jab Wegovy may also protect against migraines, a leading cause of sickness absence. Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark found women who took the jabs cut their use of triptan-class drugs for the treatment of migraine by 7 per cent after one year. There was no such effect on men. Another trial by Copenhagen University Hospital found use of weight-loss jabs was linked with a 26 per cent fall in the number of asthma exacerbations and a 14 per cent drop in the use of asthma inhaler reliever use. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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