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Private GLP-1 Weight-Loss Use in UK Skews to Middle-Class Women, Analysis Shows

A limited NHS rollout leaves most users paying hundreds each month.

Overview

  • New Health Foundation research using 113,630 Voy prescriptions from November 2024 to October 2025 finds 79% of private users are women, with uptake peaking in people aged 30 to 49.
  • People in the most deprived areas are about a third less likely to receive the jabs than those in wealthier areas and are more likely to start treatment at higher BMIs.
  • Among 30 to 49-year-olds, roughly 45% in deprived areas began with a BMI of at least 35 compared with about 30% in the least deprived areas.
  • Private costs typically range from £144 to £325 per month, and most current users obtain the drugs outside the NHS due to constrained access.
  • NHS England is prioritising about 220,000 patients in the first three years of an up to 12-year Mounjaro rollout, and the study’s insights come from a single private provider’s dataset, with clinicians flagging the need for long-term management as appetite often rebounds after stopping treatment.