A new “miracle” weight loss jab should be taken with extreme caution after it became available to NHS patients, the former host of Fat Families has warned.
The weekly injection will be available through specialist weight management services, and is already winning platitudes from celebrities to obesity patients.
The NHS rollout of the drug will be limited to people needing medical help to lose weight, amid concerns about quantities.
Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, will be prescribed to patients alongside a reduced calorie diet and exercise from September 4.
WATCH THE FULL DISCUSSION BELOW
According to TV star Steve Miller, it should only be a last resort option, and its potential side effects should not be treated lightly.
“You should not use a prick for your podge, and there are key reasons for that”, he said.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“Number one, is the potential serious side effects. You might throw your guts up, need lots of toilet paper, and on a serious note, thyroid cancer.
“The second reason that I am not advocating jabs, is you can’t live on this forever, you’ll become a porker again.
“It suppresses your appetite, some people have had a dreadful time on it.
“I heard about a woman who spent a lot of money on the drug, but ended up putting all the weight back on.”
Steve Miller says Brits are too reliant on quick fix solutions when it comes to weight
PEXELSSteve Miller says the apparent openness to the drug is reflective of a society that is “bone-idle”, in a damning assessment of Britain’s attitudes towards obesity.
“We’ve got to start taking some personal responsibility”, he told GB News.
“Stop expecting the Government to do it all for you, and go and eat some fresh air. It will do you the world of good.”
Semaglutide works by managing hunger and slowing down digestion, and is also the active ingredient in Ozempic, the first of the weight loss jabs to gain traction.
The National Institute for Care and Excellence (Nice) gave Wegovy the go-ahead for NHS use earlier this year.
In its guidance, it recommended a maximum use of two years.
According to an NHS spokesperson, around 50,000 patients in England could be prescribed Wegovy, but concerns linger about its supply.
Novo Nordisk, the drug’s manufacturer, said it expects supply to be “constrained for the foreseeable future”.
NHS services have been allocated a “proportion of available supply”.
"We will continue to work with healthcare professionals to help ensure that patients with the highest unmet medical need are prioritised," the company said.
