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Relying on drugs to stop obesity would be "societal failure", says Chris Whitty
Sir Chris Whitty warns that relying on weight-loss drugs for obesity would be a societal failure as two thirds of UK adults are overweight or obese, urging focus on prevention.
- At the Medical Journalists' Association annual lecture, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, warned relying on Wegovy and Mounjaro would be a societal and medical failure.
- Historically, the UK and France shared similar obesity levels in the early 1990s but France's rates have stayed fairly stable for over three decades while the UK's have soared.
- The NHS offers Wegovy and Mounjaro through specialist weight‑management services, but a much bigger private market charges hundreds of pounds monthly, and Whitty said the drugs are "transformational" for a very small minority.
- Whitty urged the UK to learn from France, saying cutting fat and sugar does not mean unpleasant food and "It's perfectly possible to turn this around" with healthy, tasty and affordable food.
- Sir Chris criticised "pretty aggressive marketing" targeting children, saying it leaves the health service "having to pick up the pieces" and called it "a societal choice and is one that I think we should be looking at really, very seriously.
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right1Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
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