Weight loss jabs cut sick days by 45 per cent, a new study reveals, offering fresh evidence that the medications could ease Britain’s productivity crisis and reduce pressure on the NHS.
Researchers assessed 1,270 severely obese patients on Oviva’s tier 3 weight management programme and found that after nine months of treatment, long-term absences of five days or more fell by 56 per cent. The patients, who began the programme with an average body mass index of 45, were managing at least three serious conditions – most commonly anxiety, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Weight loss and reduced GP reliance
The majority of patients were prescribed semaglutide, the active ingredient in the weight loss injection Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic. Over nine months they lost an average of 12.4 per cent of their body weight, with their BMI dropping from 45 to 39. This dramatic reduction in weight is the key driver of the health improvements seen in the study, helping to alleviate obesity-related conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, which in turn reduces patients’ need for medical care.
Patients on the jabs went to see their GP far less often: face-to-face appointments dropped by 43 per cent, remote consultations by 48 per cent, and more than 60 per cent said they did not contact their GP at all during the nine-month period. A separate analysis of 738 patients prescribed the medication found that A&E visits fell by a quarter. The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.
Broader economic and social toll
Martin Fidock, UK managing director of Oviva, said Britain was “in the grip of a productivity crisis” driven by obesity. “Hundreds of thousands of people are stuck on long-term sick leave, unable to work, costing the economy billions every year,” he said. “Our data shows that when people get the right treatment – jabs combined with proper clinical support – they don’t just lose weight. They get back to work, they stop relying on their GP, and they start living again.”
The economic impact of obesity and excess weight across the UK is estimated at £126 billion annually, with £31 billion attributed to reduced productivity – a figure projected to rise to £36 billion by 2035 if no action is taken. Long-term sickness leave alone costs firms an average of £20,735 per employee, while short-term absence costs £13,800. In 2023, workers with long-term health conditions accounted for 112.5 million sick days, resulting in a £32.7 billion loss in productivity. Approximately 2.8 million people in the UK are economically inactive due to illness.
The study’s findings come against a backdrop of soaring demand for NHS services. General practice staff delivered an estimated 376 million appointments in 2025 – a 20.5 per cent increase from 2019 – while March 2026 was the busiest month on record for A&E attendances in England, with over 2.43 million attendances. Over 46,000 patients in February 2026 experienced delays of more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to admission.
A separate study presented at the same congress examined data from 44,000 Dutch adults and found that higher BMI is linked to increased loneliness, stress and financial problems. Around one in 20 reported financial difficulties, with 7.2 per cent of severely obese adults experiencing money troubles compared with 4.3 per cent of those of normal weight. Researchers noted that obese people were more likely to report feeling lonely, describing the relationship as “bidirectional”: higher BMI may contribute to stigma, social isolation and reduced work capacity, while financial strain and chronic stress can drive lifestyle behaviours that promote weight gain.
Other research has pointed to lasting psychological effects of obesity even after weight loss – a phenomenon termed “weight scarring” – and has shown that people with severe mental illness gain significantly more weight over time yet receive fewer referrals to weight management services. Wegovy is currently available on the NHS but access is limited and varies by region; eligibility typically requires a BMI of 35 or above with at least one weight-related condition, or a BMI of 30 in higher-risk groups. In April 2026, NICE approved the drug for use in people with cardiovascular disease and a BMI of 27 or higher, expanding its potential application beyond weight management alone. Oviva, the NHS partner behind the study, has supported over 300,000 patients through its tier 3 programme, which combines medical assessment, dietary advice, psychological support and prescription weight loss medicines.
Fidock called on the government to “urgently prioritise rollout to those who need it most”, warning that failure to act means “more people written off, more lives diminished, and a bill for the taxpayer that will only keep growing.”