A five-year trial on the impact of weight loss jabs on the job prospects of people living with obesity in Greater Manchester has begun.
The first batch of patients visited a GP to be enrolled in the study that will assess the health benefits of anti-obesity drug Tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro.
Up to 3,000 people will take part in the first-of-its-kind ‘real world’ trial, set up under £279m plans by US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and the government to address public health challenges like obesity.
Martin Rutter, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Manchester, said the trial would look at how effective early intervention is in tackling obesity.
Tirzepatide, which is sold under the brand name Zepbound as well as Mounjaro, is an injectable drug which supresses appetite by mimicking a hormone which makes people feel fuller.
Mounjaro, which is manufactured by Eli Lilly, has seen patients in trials lose up to 20% of their weight after 72 weeks of treatment.
The study in Greater Manchester will look at how the drug works in the long-term on health-related issues like employment and quality of life when issued by primary care providers like GPs.
Illnesses relating to obesity cost the NHS £11bn a year, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously said.
About 600,000 adults live with obesity in Greater Manchester, according to Mark Fisher, chief executive officer of the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.
The estimated cost of obesity in the region was more than £3bn in the cost of NHS treatment, social care and quality of life, according to a 2023 report by consultants Health Innovation Manchester.
Researchers will measure how the drug affects the employment status of a patient, as well as the number of sick days they take.
Dr Imran Ghafoor is a GP Partner at Peterloo Medical Centre in Middleton which is involved in the trial.
He said patients trust his practice as a “familiar and accessible space”, and research from the trial would help “test solutions tailored to real lives”.
Mr Rutter, who is also chief investigator for the trial, said it would assess the drug’s health benefits “in a diverse group of individuals”.
