Some 78% of people already using weight loss drugs “would be likely” to switch from injections to pills if they had “similar effectiveness”, new research has revealed.
Asda Online Doctor’s survey of 1,800 people who self-identified as overweight also found that 29% of those currently using weight loss jabs “would pay a premium to avoid needles”, while 53% of those aged 25 to 34 “admitted to having a fear of self-injection”.
“More appealing”
Asda said the research was conducted this month in line with the UK approval of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill on June 11.
It also found that around two in five people considered taking an oral version of a weight loss drug to be “less embarrassing” than using the injections, and that 38% felt taking a pill would make it “easier to manage a daily routine”.
Read more: Superdrug developing Wegovy pill service ahead of UK approval
Almost a third of people surveyed (33%) told Asda that the pill is “more appealing” as it makes it “easier to keep treatment private from family, housemates or guests”.
And of the respondents currently using GLP-1 injections, 49% said they “sourced the treatment privately from online pharmacies”.
“Significant milestone”
Asda Online Doctor team doctor Kathryn Basford said the Wegovy pill’s approval “is a significant milestone and should support increased access to obesity care in the UK, giving patients more choice and flexibility for long-term weight management”.
She added that while weight loss tablets are not yet as effective as higher-dose jabs, the Wegovy pill “is extremely close in efficacy to the 2.4mg injection dose, and likely more convenient for patients who struggle with needles”.
Read more: ‘Significant’: MHRA approves Wegovy pill for use in the UK
It comes after C+D exclusively revealed this month that Superdrug is developing a “new oral weight management service” for the Wegovy pill.
The multiple said it is “working closely with the supplier to establish the soonest possible launch date” for the service.
