Obesity drug use at new high
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Use of drugs to lose weight has risen sixfold in as many years, as the obesity epidemic tightens its grip on Britain.
A record 871,000 prescriptions were written for NHS patients last year, compared with about 127,000 in 1999, new figures show.
Meanwhile, the number of people who are classified as obese has risen sharply– particularly among men and boys, where the figures have nearly doubled in the past decade or so.
Dr Beckie Lang, of the Association for the Study of Obesity, said: 'It's not surprising drug usage has increased as it is now an option that is more available for people. But it reminds us that obesity levels are still increasing.'
Britain's bulging waistlines cost the NHS about £1billion a year and society as a whole £7billion.
There are now three licensed drugs to treat weight problems in Britain and the spike in their use may be because two of them have become available only in the past six years.
But Dr Lang said drugs were not the only answer. She added: 'We need to make sure that there is the information and support out there for people who want to make a difference to their weight and their health.'
The figures, released by the Information Centre for health and social care, showed the proportion of obese men soared from 13.2 per cent in 1993 to 22.1 per cent in 2005 and, for women, it went up from 16.4 per cent to 21.9 per cent.
Among boys aged from two to 15, the figure rose from 10.9 per cent to 18 per cent in the decade to 2005.
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