{"id":45110,"date":"2025-08-05T10:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/45110\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T10:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:34:10","slug":"wegovy-and-mounjaro-patients-should-be-monitored-for-at-least-a-year-after-stopping-drugs-watchdog-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/45110\/","title":{"rendered":"Wegovy and Mounjaro patients should be monitored for at least a YEAR after stopping drugs, watchdog says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patients should be monitored for a year after stopping weight loss<\/a> jabs to prevent them piling the pounds back on, new guidelines say.<\/p>\n

The drugs\u2019 watchdog is concerned about the number of people regaining weight after coming off the likes of Wegovy and Mounjaro.<\/p>\n

They must now be offered \u2018structured advice and follow-up support\u2019 to help them maintain healthy lifestyles for the long-term, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said.<\/p>\n

Its guidance applies to everyone who obtains the treatments through the NHS<\/a> in England and Wales – and healthcare workers are expected to comply immediately.<\/p>\n

An estimated 1.5 million people are taking weight loss jabs in the UK but the vast majority are paying around \u00a3200 a month to obtain them privately.<\/p>\n

Some 240,000 people with \u2018greatest need\u2019 are set to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, through the NHS over the next three years.<\/p>\n

The new \u2018quality standard\u2019 from Nice tells health providers they should monitor NHS patients for at least a year after they complete treatment and offer extra tailored support if needed.<\/p>\n

It says: \u2018This could include practical advice from programmes like NHS Better Health on changing daily habits or making adjustments at home or work to avoid slipping back.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"An <\/p>\n

An estimated 1.5 million people are taking weight loss jabs in the UK<\/p>\n

The guidance emphasises the need to establish \u2018long-term behavioural habits\u2019 and suggests the use of regular check-ins, community support groups, local activity classes, and help developing \u2018sustainable routines\u2019.<\/p>\n

Studies found people injected with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, lost 14 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks.<\/p>\n

And those taking Mounjaro, known as the \u2018king kong\u2019 of weight-loss jabs, lost 20 per cent of their body weight over the the same period.<\/p>\n

But research also shows that many people regain weight after stopping treatment if they do not get the right help.<\/p>\n

Health officials say this can negatively affect their physical and mental health.<\/p>\n

Professor Jonathan Benger, deputy chief executive and chief medical officer at Nice, said: \u2018Successful weight management doesn\u2019t end when medication stops or when someone completes a behavioural programme.<\/p>\n

\u2018We know that the transition period after treatment is crucial, and people need structured support to maintain the positive changes they\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n

\u2018This new standard makes sure services provide that vital continuity of care, and it supports the NHS 10 Year Plan to shift from a \u201csickness service\u201d to a genuine health service focused on prevention.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The drugs\u2019 watchdog is concerned about the number of people regaining weight after coming off fat jabs<\/p>\n

In England, 29 per cent of adults are obese and 64 per cent or overweight or obese.<\/p>\n

Obesity places extra pressure on the NHS and wider economy by increasing the risk type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and musculoskeletal problems.<\/p>\n

Estimates suggest obesity costs the NHS \u00a311.4 billion a year, with a wider economic impact of \u00a374.3 billion due to lost productivity, unemployment and increased demand for social care.<\/p>\n

Dr Rebecca Payne, chair of Nice\u2019s Quality Standards Advisory Committee, added: \u2018Weight management is a long-term journey, not a short-term fix.<\/p>\n

\u2018The evidence is clear that advice and support for maintaining weight after stopping medicines or completing behavioural interventions can help prevent weight regain and enable people to experience lasting benefits.<\/p>\n

‘We\u2019ve seen excellent examples of services that already provide comprehensive discharge planning and ongoing support.<\/p>\n

\u2018This quality standard will help ensure all healthcare providers adopt these best practices, giving every person the best chance of maintaining their weight management success over the long term.<\/p>\n

\u2018This standard ensures healthcare services are equipped to provide that essential ongoing support.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Professor <\/p>\n

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs<\/p>\n

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: \u201cThere is no one-size fits all approach to tackling obesity – what works for one patient will likely not work for another, and as with any medication, weight-loss drugs do not come without risk.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s also the case that patients will likely need support to sustain their weight loss once they stop taking the medication.<\/p>\n

\u2018As such, this is important and sensible guidance from NICE.<\/p>\n

\u2018As a College we\u2019ve been clear that whilst weight loss medications have significant potential benefits for patients who are struggling to lose weight, they mustn\u2019t be seen as a \u201csilver bullet\u201d, and ensuring access to sufficient \u201cwraparound” services \u2013 particularly for when patients come off their medication \u2013 will be key to optimal health outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u2018We need to see a greater focus on prevention, stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don\u2019t require a medical intervention later.\u2019<\/p>\n

Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: \u2018Pharmacies take their responsibilities seriously to provide full wrap around support to patients trying to achieve a healthy weight.<\/p>\n

\u2018We know that although medication can be effective in speeding up weight loss in some people, it is not a silver bullet and patients need to make long term lifestyle changes to make their weight loss sustainable.<\/p>\n

\u2018The current NHS roll out of weight loss treatment is very small, with only a handful of patients receiving it and it will continue to be the case that the vast majority of eligible patients will be seen by their pharmacy.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Patients should be monitored for a year after stopping weight loss jabs to prevent them piling the pounds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[64,63,100,137,500],"class_list":{"0":"post-45110","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}