Weight loss injections to be offered in Northern Ireland

Weight loss injections could be available in Northern Ireland on the health service, after the first regional obesity management service was approved.

Currently, health service patients in Northern Ireland do not have access to specialist weight management provision.

However that looks set to change next year, in what the health minister called a "significant step forward".

Mike Nesbitt's announcement follows a public consultation by the Department of Health (DOH) on the proposed introduction of such a service.

The first phase, which is scheduled to begin in 2026, will focus on the development of a community-based service where patients will have access to lifestyle support as well as obesity medication, if clinically appropriate.

The department said: "The service will support access to weight loss medication in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

"Any rollout will be carefully managed in a phased manner to ensure that treatment is provided in a safe and effective manner."

They added that further phases of the service will develop, but they would be subject to funding and could include "other interventions such as bariatric (weight loss) surgery".

Nesbitt said establishing a Regional Obesity Management Service would bring Northern Ireland into line with other parts of the UK.

He said the service will be "a phased introduction and will take time and sustained investment to be fully established".

He said it was a "very important day for public health".

There are two drugs on the market - semaglutide, marketed under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro. Semaglutide is also used in the type 2 diabetes treatment Ozempic.

Both Wegovy and Mounjaro are given as weekly injections via pre-filled pens that can be self-administered into the upper arm, thigh or stomach.

They work as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

This is an intestinal hormone which is released after eating, and typically makes people feel fuller.

Mounjaro also affects another hormone, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which affects metabolism and helps regulate energy balance.

Patients generally start on a low dose which is gradually increased until they reach a higher maintenance dose.

The most common side-effects some people experience are feeling sick, vomiting, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. Some people report hair loss.

For many the side-effects are manageable and tend to go away in time; others say they stopped taking the drugs because of them.

In rare cases, serious side-effects can include gallbladder and kidney problems and depression.

Read more about weight loss drugs and potential side effects here.

Marc McKee's GP told him, aged 34, that he would be lucky to live to see his 40th birthday.

He weighed 23.4 stone, was on medication for cholesterol, blood pressure and had a fatty liver.

He told the BBC News NI podcast 'The State of Us' that he had struggled with his weight for his whole life.

After trying several other methods of losing weight, Marc decided to contact an online pharmacy about weight loss injections.

Since August last year he has lost 9 stone, and in the process, has come off his blood pressure medication, reduced his visceral fat levels, and his liver is back to normal.

Marc explained what the medication did for him, "It silences the noise in your head, the craving in your head. The silence is deafening," he said.

"I don't have the obsession to eat lots".

Marc has had consultations and calls with his online pharmacy provider throughout his journey.

He has also spoken to his GP, he said he has experienced "the occasional headache after taking the medication".

Listen to: The State of US: "I've lost 9 stone in 9 months using weight loss jabs"