Could weight loss drugs fix UK’s unemployment problem?
The United Kingdom will study whether the use of weight loss drugs could get people back to work.
UK Health Minister Wes Streeting announced last month that US drug manufacturer Eli Lilly will begin a five-year trial in Greater Manchester to test if the company’s weight loss drug could curb the UK’s unemployment crisis.
The announcement came a day after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a summit to encourage investment in the UK, which was attended by Eli Lilly.
But what have weight-loss drugs got to do with unemployment and how will this work?
What is the weight loss drug experiment in the UK?
On October 14, Starmer hosted a summit to encourage investment in the UK. Attendees included David Ricks, the chair of US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, who announced a 279-million-pound ($365.4m) investment in the UK. Further details about how this money would be spent have not been revealed.
About 3,000 residents of Greater Manchester will take part in the study that aims to observe the long-term effects of weight loss drugs. Further details of the study are not known yet.
According to the 2021 official health survey, about 25.9 percent of adults in the UK are obese, while another 37.9 percent are overweight. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a person with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 is considered overweight, and those with BMI of more than 30 are considered obese.
Obesity-related health issues cost the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) 11 billion pounds ($14bn) each year, UK Health Secretary Streeting said while announcing the Eli Lily study.
