New daily fat jab PILL approved in the UK and could be available in weeks – it’s the most effective yet

A SECOND weight loss pill that works like a fat jab has been approved for UK patients. One-a-day tablet orforglipron today got the green light from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Weight loss pills are expected to be very popular Credit: Alamy Mounjaro injections have become the NHS’ most expensive medicine Credit: PA It will be named Foundayo and is made by Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of blockbuster injection Mounjaro. Mounjaro set an NHS spending record last year when doctors in England prescribed nearly £600million worth of the jabs. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! It was more than the health service has ever spent on a single medicine in one year. Experts reckon the pill will be just as popular as it will likely be cheaper and easier to take. Millions of people are eligible to take it, as almost a third of the population is obese. MHRA approval is required before a drug can be used in the UK and it comes after the rival Wegovy pill was signed off in June. A study in March found patients lost more weight with orforglipron – 8.2 per cent of their body weight in the first year compared to 5.3 per cent in people taking the Wegovy pill. Patients on the maximum doses lost an average of 19.7lbs (8.9kg) on orforglipron or 11lbs (5kg) on Wegovy, also known as semaglutide. Most read in Health Both drugs work the same way, by copying GLP hormones that tell the brain your stomach is full, squashing your appetite and preventing over-eating. Pharmacies are likely to start selling the prescription-only pill, which also treats type 2 diabetes, within weeks. Julian Beach, a director at the MHRA, said: “We are pleased to be the first regulator in Europe to authorise this tablet for weight management and type 2 diabetes. “This is a prescription-only medication and the MHRA will keep the safety and effectiveness of orforglipron under close review.” To be eligible for the pills, someone must either be obese with a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher, or overweight with a health issue such as high blood pressure. Patients must also go on a diet and exercise regime at the same time. The criteria are broadly the same as for the Mounjaro jab. The NHS may set stricter rules in an effort to ration the medication to patients who need it the most. It will not be available from the health service until it is signed off as good value for money by the spending watchdog Nice, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Rival pill Wegovy currently costs between £50 and £150 per month from private online pharmacies. 1 comment1