Over one million Britons to be handed weight-loss drugs on NHS to prevent heart attacks and strokes

Sold under brand name Wegovy and made by Novo Nordisk, the weekly jab will be given to patients living with certain heart and circulatory conditions to cut their risk of a major cardiovascular event.

Wegovy is a type of GLP-1 receptor which slows down how quickly food is digested, leading to weight loss.

But Nice has found the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels, according to clinical trials conducted by the watchdog.

It is expected 1.2 million people across England could benefit from the decision.

The new guidance will allow its use by patients with a body mass index (BMI) score of 27 or over in addition to other medicines, including statins and a reduced calorie diet and increased exercise.

Nice's study found that benefits were seen before patients lost a significant amount of weight, indicating the drug did affect the heart and blood vessels.

And the risk of a heart attack was reduced by 20 per cent among the 17,604 people who took part in the study.

Semaglutide is already available on the NHS in England for those with obesity, and under the name Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Health minister Sharon Hodgson said weight loss drugs were a "game changer" for tackling obesity.

"Extending their use for people who also suffer from cardiovascular disease will be a life saver," she said.

Nice said the evaluation proved the treatment was "cost effective" for the NHS.

Officials have said the treatment will be available through the NHS "within months".

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: "We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again.

"The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling. It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke."

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "So-called ‘weight loss drugs’ like semaglutide have proven benefits beyond reducing the number on the scales – they are now considered important medicines for preventing deadly heart attacks and strokes.

"Today’s guidance will no doubt help save lives as cardiovascular disease is still one of the country’s biggest killers."

Sebnem Avsar Tuna, general manager for Novo Nordisk UK, said the move was a "important step".

She added: "It means clinicians in England now have access to a further treatment that Nice has found to be cost effective, the first and only GLP-1 receptor agonist proven to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death in this high risk population."