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NHS in England to start prescribing weight-loss jab Wegovy despite low supply
The weight-loss drug Wegovy is being made available in the UK as part of a “controlled and limited launch”.
The drug, also known as semaglutide, will be prescribed via specialist NHS weight management services alongside a reduced calorie diet and exercise from 4 September.
Those eligible should have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 and at least one weight-related co-morbidity.
However, Novo Nordisk has since confirmed semaglutide is in short supply and said it expected it “to be constrained for the foreseeable future”.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Despite global supply constraints, NHS England is taking action to begin implementing Nice guidance for weight management, while at the same time working to restore supplies of this class of drug for people with type 2 diabetes.’’
The move follows a five-year study by Novo Nordisk, known as the Select trial, which found the drug could cut the risk of a heart attack or stroke in obese people with cardiovascular disease by a fifth.
It included 17,604 adults over the age of 45 from across 41 countries, each with a BMI of more than 27 and established cardiovascular disease, with no history of diabetes.
Source: The Guardian, 4 September 2023
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London has lowest proportion of face-to-face GP appointments in England
London has the lowest proportion of face-to-face GP appointments, figures revealed on Friday, as a study claimed that seeing a family doctor remotely could be better for certain conditions.
Analysis by the Standard found that under two-thirds (63.6 per cent) of appointments in the capital in July were held in-person – the lowest proportion of any region in the country.
Surgeries in the capital delivered a total of 4,136,307 appointments – a rise of 6.7 per cent in a year. Nearly half (45.7 per cent) took place on the same day, while one in ten patients (10.3 per cent) waited longer than two weeks.
Meanwhile, the overall number of patients in the capital has grown by 188,678 a year as the number of full-time GPs continues to decline. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs said the figures demonstrated how many family doctors were experiencing “burnout and low morale from the unsustainable demands they experience year-round”.
The figures come as a new study by Imperial College London found that virtual GP consultations could be as effective as face-to-face appointments for certain health conditions.
Researchers found that health outcomes for patients who saw doctors remotely at least matched those for in-person care for mental illness, alcohol misuse, weight management and advice on quitting smoking.
The findings were based on a review of previous research involving more than 5.4 million patients in countries across the world.
The number of virtual GP appointments saw a rapid increase during the Covid pandemic, when face-to-face visits were discouraged due to lockdown restrictions.
''Based on the evidence we analysed, it seems that remote care is equally beneficial on health outcomes for certain conditions including mental health, alcohol misuse and smoking cessation. For these conditions, evidence shows patients can get the same effectiveness of care as they would in face-to-face appointments’’ said study author Dr Ana Luisa Neves, from Imperial.
Source: Evening Standard, 1 September 2023
Read the full study here
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France planning to ban disposable vapes in effort to combat smoking
Disposable vapes will be banned in France as part of a national plan to combat smoking, the prime minister said on Sunday.
Élisabeth Borne, French Prime Minister, told the broadcaster RTL that the government would “soon present a new national plan to fight against smoking with, in particular, the prohibition of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous ‘puffs’ which give bad habits to young people”.
The French government is putting the final touches to its 2024 budget with a wider plan to reduce smoking, which Borne said was the cause of 75,000 deaths a year in the country.
She said the plan did not include another tax rise on cigarettes, adding: “But that does not mean we are not vigilant about tobacco consumption.”
Her main concern is disposable vapes, known as “puffs” in France, which she says are a gateway to smoking.
She is worried that the cigarettes with flavours such as ice candy, marshmallow and bubblegum reminiscent of childhood sweets and priced at €8 (£6.85) to €12 for 500 “puffs” are targeting teenagers.
This comes as countries across the European Union, such as Belgium, Germany and Ireland, have brought in measures to regulate disposable vapes. Australia has taken the toughest response, making vapes prescription only, reducing their nicotine content and restricting flavours. Meanwhile New Zealand has adopted a suit of bans to reduce access to vapes for children.
This year France’s then health minister said that although Emmanuel Macron’s government had no majority in parliament, ministers would “work with lawmakers” to reach a deal on a ban.
François Braun said the law could be enacted “before the end of this year”.
Source: The Guardian, 3 September 2023
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