One MILLION overweight Britons will be paying for fat injections such as Ozempic by this time next year

Billed as the cure to the obesity crisis and Hollywood’s worst-kept weight-loss secret, the popularity of fat-burning jabs has exploded in recent years.

Sold under the Wegovy and Mounjaro brands, as well as off-label prescriptions of diabetes drug Ozempic, many hope the shots will help get a horde of Brits battling obesity-related health problems back to good health.

But not everyone can get them on the NHS.

Supply of medications like Wegovy is currently limited to people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 and a health condition related to their weight, such as high blood pressure, or a BMI of more than 35.

This has led to a booming private prescription industry, with industry insiders estimating that around 430,000 people currently pay £150 to £200 for their bi-annual supply.

This compares to just £9.90 for those lucky enough to get it on the NHS.

But analysts added that the number of such private prescriptions is expected to rise to more than 1 million next year if current skyrocketing demand continues.

Rebecca Moore, chief operating officer of Simple Online Pharmacy, which conducted the analysis, said The sun the impact of the drugs on patients’ lives could not be underestimated and the private sector was keen to intervene.

“These revolutionary treatments are not only reversing obesity at an astonishing pace, they are also having a hugely positive impact on people’s lives,” she said.

‘The NHS cannot be expected to do this alone, and the private sector is demonstrating its ability to treat obesity at a rapid pace.’

By comparison, data shows that NHS prescriptions for semaglutide, the main ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, have risen to 1.2 million doses in 2023, compared to just 81,000 distributed in 2019.

Figures for 2024 are set to eclipse this, with almost 900,000 semaglutide prescriptions issued in July, the latest available data shows.

Prescriptions for tirzepatide, the ingredient in Mounjaro, are much lower as the drug was initially only approved for people managing diabetes, but have already reached almost 145,000 this year.

This graph, from the NHS-supported data source OpenPrescribe, shows healthcare services’ prescriptions for semaglutide, the key ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, rising to 1.2 million doses in 2023, compared to just 81,000 distributed in 2019.

Ministers plan to distribute the drug to millions of overweight Britons to reduce both the bulging benefits bill from sick Brits taking time off work and the spiraling costs of treating excess flabbiness to the NHS.

The latest NHS data shows that around one in four adults in England are obese.

If the remaining four in ten overweight people are included, this means that more than half of the country’s adults are overweight.

All fat sticks currently on the market work by mimicking a natural hormone called GLP-1, which makes people feel full, reduces their appetite and helps people lose weight.

Although primarily a weight-loss drug, some studies have suggested that they also have a range of other benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. And kidney disease, and recently even some cancers.

Wegovy and Ozempic work by causing the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1, which is released naturally from the intestines after meals.

However, the shots have also been associated with a host of side effects, which, as with any drug, vary in both frequency and severity.

Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headache and dizziness.

Bizarre symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.

Fat-burning shots have become the weight-loss shot of choice for celebrities with famous faces who have admitted to using them included Opra Winfrey, Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea Handler And Robbie Williams.

Although it is a potential ‘game changer’ in the fight against obesity, there is growing concern about the number of normal weight and underweight patients requiring emergency care after taking the jabs in a bid to become ‘beach body ready’.