The NHS will start offering the GLP-1 drug semaglutide (Wegovy) to eligible patients in England within months, as draft guidance from NICE recommends its use from this summer. Around 1.2 million people who have previously had a heart attack, stroke or peripheral arterial disease and who are overweight or obese (BMI ≥27) could be offered the treatment to help prevent future major cardiovascular events.
NHS England has negotiated a deal that makes semaglutide cost-effective for use on the health service. The drug is administered as a weekly injection and is intended to be prescribed alongside a healthy diet and increased physical activity. It can be given together with standard cardiovascular medicines such as statins and antihypertensives to improve outcomes.
Semaglutide is already provided on the NHS for obesity via specialist weight management services, and a related brand, Ozempic, is widely used for type 2 diabetes. Clinical trials showed semaglutide reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death) by about 20% in people with cardiovascular disease who are overweight, compared with placebo.
This policy is part of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan to help people live well with long-term conditions, lower complications and reduce avoidable hospital admissions and deaths. Earlier initiatives, such as faster access to blood-thinning medicines, have already benefited more than 500,000 people and prevented thousands of strokes and deaths; blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering treatments continue to help millions manage their heart health.
NHS and health leaders say the new offer could be life-changing for many. NHS clinical leaders highlight that when used alongside lifestyle measures, semaglutide has the potential to prevent thousands of major cardiovascular events and extend healthy life. Health ministers and patient groups add that weight-loss medicines can be a game changer for people with cardiovascular disease, while stroke and heart charities stress that individual needs must be assessed and medicines used alongside other measures such as anticoagulation, smoking cessation, healthy diet and alcohol monitoring.
