High street retailer Boots will sell Wegovy, a diet pill that has gained notoriety on social media.
Wegovy has the same active ingredient as Ozempic, which is Semaglutide.
Semaglutide reduces a person's appetite.
The drug, made by Novo Nordisk, must be self-injected into the stomach once a week.
Studies have found that the drug can help people lose one-fifth of their total body weight.
University College London researcher Rachel Batterham called the drug a “game changer”.
According to recent reports, businessman Elon Musk is using semaglutide to maintain a healthy weight, while Khloe Kardashian has lost 7kg using the drug.
Semaglutide injection belongs to a class of drugs called incretin mimetics.
It works by helping the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
It can help people lose weight because it increases the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas and decreases the amount of glucagon produced by the liver. This combination reduces hunger and increases energy levels for weight loss.
Nearly 70% of men aged 16 to 75 were labeled as obese or overweight in 2019, the Health England Survey reported.
People with a BMI of 30 may be eligible for a semaglutide prescription in the NHS, the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced.
According to NICE, people who are obese are more likely to get the diet pill if they have obstructive sleep apnea, high blood pressure, heart disease and dyslipidemia.
“For the first time, people can achieve with medicine what can only be achieved with bariatric surgery,” she said.
A Boots representative added: “Wegovy is a prescription-only weight loss drug that can help regulate appetite and reduce appetite.
“When used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet, increased physical activity, and healthy lifestyle choices, it can be an effective drug for achieving sustained weight loss.”
