UK partners with Eli Lilly on obesity plan

The UK government has teamed up with Eli Lilly on a range of initiatives, backed with £85 million in funding, to expand access to treatment for obesity.

The Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP) – with £50 million pledged from the government and £35 million from weight-loss therapy Mounjaro (tirzepatide) manufacturer Lilly – is designed to ease pressure on frontline health services "by using technology to give people new ways to access support."

The OPIP will fund a dozen projects in "underserved communities" around the UK, and aims to increase access to virtual advice and AI tools that can triage patients for weight-loss therapies without requiring a GP appointment.

For example, AI-assisted triage will be piloted in Norfolk, Suffolk, and northeast Essex, with people who are worried about their weight filling out an online health check at home that could result in them being offered NHS support, such as dietitian advice or specialist clinical care.

AI also features in a Kent pilot that will deliver advice, via WhatsApp, on healthy eating, activity, sleep and stress during pregnancy and a child's early years, while a programme in Leicester and Northamptonshire will provide weight management support through local hubs.

Some of the projects have the objective of improving access to weight-loss medication "where clinically appropriate," said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

"These innovative projects will bring together the NHS, local partners and industry to test new ways of delivering obesity care that uses the latest technology and is closer to people's homes," said Health Secretary James Murray.

"What we learn from these projects has the potential to help people across the country live healthier lives, underlining this government's commitment to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan and shift healthcare from treatment to prevention and reduce long-term pressure on vital NHS services," he added.

OPIP aims to transform outcomes for a wide range of patients, including people in deprived rural and coastal communities who often have to travel long distances for in-person care, minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities, and early years families, according to the DHSC.

Around a third of adults in England are now living with obesity, according to a study published last week, with rates rising the fastest in young adults. Estimates suggest it costs UK society up to £107 billion per year, including a bill of more than £9 billion per year for the NHS.

Last week, Lilly expanded the ways in which patients can access Mounjaro in the UK with the launch of its LillyDirect channel there as a post-prescription dispensing and delivery service that will operate in the UK through a network of private UK-regulated healthcare organisations.

"Obesity is a significant health challenge for the UK," said Chris Stokes, president and general manager of Lilly UK and Northern Europe.

"We are proud to work with the government to support NHS partners in projects which have the potential to modernise obesity services and make a genuine difference in the lives of people living with obesity," he added.