Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has held discussions with the MHRA on preventing unlicensed online (a) marketing and (b) sale of second generation GLP-1 weight management medications.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are members of the GLP1-RA Incident Management Team. Risk management in relation to the advertising and sale of these medicinal products is a standing item for discussion.
MHRA is obliged to consider complaints received about the advertisement of prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the public. Advertising investigations are carried out on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the circumstances of the particular case. Completed advertising investigations leading to correction of advertising materials are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/advertising-investigations-by-mhra
MHRA works closely with other regulators to help ensure that the public are protected from the advertising of POMs. A joint enforcement operation is in place with the Advertising Standards Authority to take targeted action against weight-loss treatment providers who use social media to promote POMs.
MHRA takes proportionate action, on a case-by-case basis, to enforce the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 in respect of the advertisement, sale, and supply of second-generation glucagon-like peptide 1 weight management medications. In cases of serious non-compliance, this can include undertaking formal criminal investigations and, where appropriate and evidentially supported, prosecution through the Crown Prosecution Service.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to prevent second generation GLP-1 weight management medications being available for purchase online without prescription.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) enforces the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Buying any medicinal product, including second generation glucagon-like peptide 1 weight management medications, from illegally trading online suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the United Kingdom. The MHRA continues to work with social media and online sales platforms to build strong partnerships to identify and quickly remove illegal medicines from sale and to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines. We work with partners to remove web content where we can, and to block harmful URLs and domain names.
The MHRA works to prevent false customer feedback from promoting illegal online suppliers and has arrangements in place with major search engine providers to delist offending domain names. The MHRA also works with payment providers to disrupt the processing of payments via illegal sites. The MHRA will take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put public health at risk.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to prevent the illegal online (a) marketing and (b) sale of (i) second generation GLP-1 weight management and (ii) other potentially hazardous medications.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has the same powers available to other regulatory organisations and law enforcement agencies when addressing offending online. MHRA takes proportionate action, on a case-by-case basis, to enforce the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 in respect of the illegal sale and supply of second generation glucagon-like peptide 1 weight management medications and other potentially hazardous medications. In cases of serious non-compliance, the agency has the power to undertake formal criminal investigations and, where appropriate and evidentially supported, prosecution through the Crown Prosecution Service.
As this is primarily an online threat, MHRA works closely with social media providers, search engines and the broader internet industry to prevent and disrupt illegal sales and to identify and bring those responsible into compliance with the regulations.
Through its #Fakemeds campaign, MHRA uses social media and other channels to share safety advice and guidance with the public. The aim is to help patients protect their health by offering quick and easy tools and resources to help them avoid fake medical products when shopping online. With practical tips on how to recognise illegally trading websites and case studies of commonly falsified medicines, it also aims to educate the public on the dangers of buying unlicensed or fake medicines and empower them to make the right choices for their health.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prosecutions have been brought against sellers of (a) second generation GLP-1 weight management medications and (b) other potentially hazardous medications on the internet over the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To date, no prosecutions have been brought against those involved in the illegal sale of glucagon-like peptide 1 medicines although the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Humberside Police were involved in executive action as recently as 23 November 2023 following an MHRA investigation into the alleged illegal supply of these products. During the last 12 months, MHRA has completed nine investigations involving the online sale of hazardous medicines. These investigations are at different stages within the criminal justice system.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total number of patients in England that NHS weight management services has capacity to provide semaglutide treatment for in the next 12 months.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that Wegovy (semaglutide) should only be used in the National Health Service within a specialist weight management service, including but not limited to tier 3 and 4 services. NHS specialist weight management services are generally hospital based. We do not have an estimate of the capacity of these services to provide semaglutide treatment for in the next 12 months.
On 7 June 2023, the Government announced pilots to explore ways to make obesity drugs safely available to more patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings. If successful, these pilots could increase the number of patients who can benefit from these treatments.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of NHS patients who would be eligible to use Wegovy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that Wegovy, otherwise known as semaglutide, is used as an option in the National Health Service for weight management in adults that have at least one weight-related comorbidity and a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35.0 kg/m2, or a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 to 34.9 kg/m2 and meet the criteria for referral to specialist weight management services in NICE’s clinical guideline on obesity: identification, assessment and management, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189.
Wegovy is recommended for use within a specialist weight management service providing multidisciplinary management of overweight or obesity (including but not limited to tiers three and four).
The Department estimates that more people will be eligible for this treatment than could be treated if access is only available through specialist weight management services, which are primarily hospital-based services. That is why we have announced up to £40 million funding over two years to explore ways to make obesity drugs safely available to more patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the positions of National Clinical Director for (a) gastroenterology and (b) liver disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A National Clinical Director provides clinical advice and leadership on the NHS England Internal Medicine Specialised Services portfolio, which includes specialised gastroenterology and liver disease. A National Speciality Advisor provides clinical advice more specifically to the hepatobiliary and pancreas programme.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has invested in clinical leadership in gastroenterology, which is one of its priority workstreams. The programme will be establishing a liver disease programme in 2024/25, including recruiting to a clinical lead role.
The National Clinical Director for Cancer is leading work on on-the-spot liver scans, that has already found that around one in ten people in communities visited have advanced liver damage that needs further monitoring or treatment as it could lead to liver cancer.
NHS England is funding preventative interventions that support individuals to reduce the harm caused by alcohol use and obesity. To support this work, NHS England has invested in a National Clinical Director for Diabetes & Obesity and a National Speciality Advisor for alcohol dependence.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions were due to issues relating to obesity and diabetes in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of these admissions.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows hospital admission data due to diabetes mellitus and obesity and other hyperalimentation episodes:
| Admissions | |
Year | Diabetes Mellitus | Obesity and other hyperalimentation |
2019-20 | 59,828 | 11,025 |
2020-21 | 54,811 | 4,095 |
2021-22 | 61,663 | 7,935 |
2022-23 | 61,796 | 8,970 |
Source: Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity, NHS Digital
The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme supports those identified at high risk of type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk. Latest figures in February 2023 shows a 20% reduction in risk for those who are referred to the programme compared to those who are not.
The weight loss drug Semaglutide (Wegovy) was launched in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2023 and will be made available on the National Health Service in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations to ensure cost effective use. A two-year pilot backed by up to £40 million is being developed to explore ways to make these drugs accessible to patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) City of Durham constituency, (b) County Durham, (c) the North East and (d) England; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6).
The following table shows data on obesity prevalence from the NCMP in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority, regional and England levels:
Percentage of children living with obesity | ||
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
County Durham | 11.8 | 25.6 |
North East | 11.3 | 25.8 |
England | 9.2 | 22.7 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption, and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the National Health Service of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on obesity rates among children in the last five years; and when he plans to publish his Department's most recent data on Overweight children.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on the weight status of children aged 4-5 years (Reception) and 10-11 years (Year 6). The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes national and local level data on Fingertips. The following table shows data on national obesity prevalence from the NCMP in the last five years.
Prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) in England | ||
Year | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
2017/18 | 9.5 | 20.1 |
2018/19 | 9.7 | 20.2 |
2019/20 | 9.9 | 21.0 |
2020/21 | 14.4 | 25.5 |
2021/22 | 10.1 | 23.4 |
The most recent NCMP data on overweight children will be published by NHS England on Thursday 19th October 2023. The report will present analysis of height and weight data recorded among children in reception (aged 4-5) and year 6 (aged 10-11) for the school year 2022/23.