The weight-loss drug Wegovy has been launched in the UK after months of delay.
World-wide demand for the drug has caused delays.
Now, manufacturer Novo Nordisk has announced a “limited launch” that will allow access to patients using specialist NHS weight management services as well as private patients.
Earlier this year The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) agreed use of the jabs for tens of thousands of people.
Trials found that overweight people on Wegovy lost 15 per cent of their body weight.
A spokesman for Novo Nordisk said:
“A proportion of available supply will be allocated for use only within the NHS.”
“We expect supply to be constrained for the foreseeable future.”
The once-weekly injection is only available to adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30, or 27 if the person also has a weight-related comorbidity like heart disease.
Wegovy works by suppressing a person’s appetite, so they eat less.
