Weight-loss jabs like Mounjaro have led to a rise in people needing extra holes in their belts, the chief executive of Timpson has said.
In a message on X, James Timpson said: “You can tell Ozempic and Mounjaro are popular… in our Timpson shops we have seen a 680% increase in the number of free holes in customers belts we’ve been doing this year.”
Some estimates suggest around 2.4 million people in the UK are prescribed weight loss medications.
The vast majority of people taking the drugs semaglutide (Wegovy for weight loss or Ozempic for diabetes) and Mounjaro pay privately owing to restrictions on who can access the medicines via the NHS.
In June, the medicines regulator approved Wegovy in tablet form.
Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “It is encouraging to see more and more people needing extra notches in their belts after starting weight management treatments.
“Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges facing society and weight loss treatment can have a transformative effect on health outcomes for those who are eligible.
“There must now be a redoubling of efforts within Government and the NHS to use pharmacies to make sure more eligible patients in clinical need can get this for free from the NHS, rather than the current postcode lottery that exists for weight management services via GPs.
“We are concerned that the NHS rollout remains extremely slow and community pharmacy is ready to support a wider rollout, which will help eligible patients access treatment safely and help mitigate the impact of obesity on the NHS.”
