NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes

People who are not obese but overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular events eligible for weekly jabs

The NHS in England is to offer more than 1 million people weight-loss drugs to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Semaglutide (Wegovy) is already available on the health service for some people living with obesity, and also offered under the brand name Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes.

Now people who are not obese but overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular events will also be eligible for the weekly injections, after a watchdog gave the green light.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said people with a body mass index (BMI) score of 27 or above who have had a heart attack, stroke or serious circulation problem in their legs should be offered semaglutide to ward off life-threatening cardiovascular events.