Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of providing weight loss drugs through the National Health Service; to what extent are is this already undertaken; and, if so, in which localities.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.

NICE has recommended liraglutide, under various brand names, semaglutide, under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, under the brand name Mounjaro, as treatments for obesity in adults with a high body mass index and with weight related co-morbidities. All medicines are recommended for use in specialist weight management services, with only tirzepatide also recommended for use outside of this setting.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are legally required to fund and make available medicines recommended by NICE, including obesity medicines, usually within three months of the publication of the final technology appraisal. NICE granted a phased rollout for the use of tirzepatide in primary care to manage NHS resources and allow time to establish new obesity care pathways.

These medicines should therefore be available on the NHS in specialist weight management services, where these services are available, and tirzepatide should have started to become available in primary care from 23 June 2025. We do not hold information on whether each ICB provides access to specific medicines in its locality. ICBs are responsible for ensuring they meet their legal duties, including making funding for NICE-recommended medicines available.