As the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care calls for a prevention-first NHS that drives growth through better health, the UK’s obesity strategy stands at a defining moment. Over the past 30 years, 689 public health obesity policies and 14 national obesity strategies have been introduced – yet, in the absence of meaningful scientific innovation, 2023–24 saw the highest recorded UK obesity rates since 2015–16.
The obesity medicines, science, data, and digital capacity now exist to treat obesity as the chronic, relapsing condition it is – and to prevent millions of avoidable cases of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer. The task ahead is to align political will, evidence, and implementation so that this becomes the nation’s ‘Herceptin moment’ for obesity.
Three Big Shifts Shaping the UK Approach
The first shift is from sickness to prevention. Tackling obesity must be understood as part of the wider cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CVRM) prevention agenda – addressing obesity as the root cause of multimorbidity and building a prevention-led NHS that strengthens workforce participation and economic productivity.
The second is from analogue to digital. Evidence shows that the greatest and most sustainable weight loss occurs when medicines are paired with continuous digital behavioural support. The UK already has National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-accredited digital providers, such as Reset Health and Roczen, delivering safe, scalable care with clinical oversight. As Roczen’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Barbara McGowan, recently noted, “Integrated digital-first delivery, with medical oversight and behavioural support, improves patient access and outcomes and reduces the burden on local NHS services.”
The third shift is from cost containment to economic growth. Access to proven obesity treatments and digital support not only saves lives but also saves public money by reducing long-term sickness, NHS resource utilisation, and welfare dependency. As the new Health Innovation Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed, has argued, “Harnessing life sciences innovation in areas like obesity care is central to both prevention and prosperity.”
“The UK can lead the world in obesity innovation – turning once-in-a-generation scientific breakthroughs into lasting health and prosperity for all” ~ Vice President of UK & North Europe IQVIA Angela McFarlane.
Harnessing the Power of UK Health Data
The UK’s ability to deliver on these shifts depends on its unmatched health data infrastructure. Scotland’s unique Community Health Index (CHI) number provides lifelong, linkable records, which, when combined with IQVIA’s leadership in delivering health data-enabled real-world studies, underpinned by digital patient support platforms, create one of the richest anonymised datasets in Europe.
This integrated approach will enable policymakers to prioritise which communities stand to gain most from treatment, monitor real-world outcomes, and adapt commissioning based on live evidence rather than retrospective analysis. As global demand for real-world data grows, this capability also strengthens the UK’s position as a preferred destination for research and investment.
Scotland Leading the Way: Scotland Cardiometabolic Impact Study (SCoMIS)
The announcement of the landmark Scotland CardioMetabolic Impact Study (SCoMIS) marks a major step forward in the UK’s efforts to tackle obesity through innovation and inclusion. SCoMIS is a multi-million-pound study funded by the UK Government. IQVIA will deliver the landmark SCoMIS real world evidence study in partnership with the Universities of Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, and global healthcare company Novo Nordisk. SCoMIS will invite 3,000–5,000 people living with obesity and related comorbidities from across the most economically deprived communities in Scotland.
SCoMIS will shape how an incretin-based weight-loss medicine (GLP-1s) can be safely, effectively, and equitably delivered in everyday NHS settings, such as GP surgeries and community pharmacies. The study will explore not only clinical outcomes, but critically, the impact on health inequalities, NHS healthcare resource usage and capacity and economic productivity.
Professor Jason Gill, Professor of CardioMetabolic Health at the University of Glasgow and lead of the SCoMIS consortium, describes it as “a landmark real-world study evaluating a new model of obesity care, providing incretin treatment via primary and community care to Scottish adults living with obesity, with a focus on those in the most economically deprived communities”.
The project exemplifies the UK Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, combining scientific excellence, partnership, and equity. As UK Science Minister Lord Vallance noted, “Scotland is home to a vibrant life sciences community, fuelled by strong public and private sector partnerships and supported by top-tier universities and the NHS. New ways of tackling obesity offer the chance to give people their health and wellbeing back – in some cases, offering a route back to the dignity of work.”
DiCE-REALM Study – Digital Support at Scale
In addition to supporting research for improved access to innovative GLP1 therapy for NHS patients, IQVIA has created the DiCE-REALM study (Digital and Clinical Excellence Real-World Evidence for Advancing Lifestyle and Medication) in partnership with the DiCE network.
The DiCE network represents the reputable digital online health providers programme that enables UK citizens to realise appropriate access to GLP1 therapies privately and online. DiCE- REALM will be the first study in Europe to experience some of the 2.5 million UK citizens who are taking weight loss medications, and it will look at the safety, efficacy, and, crucially, how digital therapeutic tools and behavioural coaching can be optimally combined with innovative pharmacotherapies, such as incretin-based weight-loss medicines (GLP-1s).
By studying these self-funded pathways, DiCE-REALM aims to generate critical insights into patient behaviour, engagement, and long-term outcomes, ensuring that lessons from the private market inform future public provision.
UK Health Innovation Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed, said, “More than 1 in 3 adults in Scotland’s most deprived areas are living with obesity. The UK Government is committed to tackling inequality wherever it finds it in our country. It’s why this landmark UK government investment is targeting help where it’s needed most in Scotland and meeting people where they are and backing helping the NHS services they trust to treat them.
“The UK Government sponsorship of this landmark Scottish SCoMIS study is a live example that our Life Sciences Sector Plan is working in every part of our country – backing British innovation, Scottish jobs and positioning the UK as a global leader in health research.”
OPIP: Replacing a Broken System
The current tiered model for obesity care has failed people living with obesity (PWO). Access remains patchy, thresholds arbitrary, and referral routes slow. The Obesity Pathway Improvement Programme (OPIP) proposes a single, integrated pathway that replaces tiers with need-based, digitally enabled access.
Under OPIP, primary and community care – supported by pharmacists and accredited digital providers – become the front door for prevention and treatment. Medicines are managed as part of chronic disease care, not an escalation step, and outcomes are tracked through linked data to ensure equity and accountability.
“The UK Government sponsorship of this landmark Scottish SCoMIS study is a live example that our Life Sciences Sector Plan is working in every part of our country – backing British innovation, Scottish jobs and positioning the UK as a global leader in health research” ~ UK Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed.
The Triple Helix for Obesity
Taken together, these programmes form a Triple Helix of action
- Transformative medicines that deliver measurable cardiovascular renal metabolic, and weight management outcomes.
- Digital behavioural support to sustain those gains, build primary care capacity and scale access.
- Public health and prevention to address upstream drivers and reduce inequalities.
This model moves the conversation from isolated interventions to a coherent national framework for prevention-led growth.
Funding the Next Phase – a Sovereign Prevention Fund
Delivering this vision requires predictable funding. Establishing an Obesity & CVRM Sovereign Prevention Fund, modelled on the Cancer Drugs Fund, would secure rapid access to innovation while demonstrating fiscal responsibility. The Fund could be supported by a hypothecated levy on ultra-processed food producers and fast-food delivery platforms, recycling harm into health gain.
This approach would accelerate access to the 181 obesity treatments currently in global development, attract more clinical research to the UK and enable equitable rollout across the NHS.
A National Opportunity for Growth and Health
If fully implemented, these reforms could transform lives and strengthen the economy within the course of this Parliament.
- Health: fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity-related cancers, and musculoskeletal conditions; sustained weight loss; and improved wellbeing.
- NHS: reduced waiting lists and pressure on primary care through primary prevention underpinned by digital wrap-around patient support programmes.
- Economy: lower absenteeism, higher workforce participation, and savings that outweigh programme costs.
- Equity: better outcomes for those living in our most deprived communities, closing rather than widening health gaps.
From Evidence to Action
The UK now has the evidence, the partners, and the momentum. SCoMIS will generate the critical real-world data; REALM will demonstrate the benefits of citizen choice; OPIP will build sustainable care pathways; and the Sovereign Prevention Fund will unlock scale. Together, they embody the prevention-led, economically grounded strategy the Health Secretary has championed.
As IQVIA’s SVP and General Manager for Northern Europe, Tim Sheppard notes, “SCoMIS aims to demonstrate, through advanced real world evidence, how expedited access to innovative medicines – combined with IQVIA AI-driven digital patient support – will build capacity in primary care and improve outcomes for patients, whilst driving economic growth.”
This is the moment to act boldly. With clear ministerial backing and collaboration across the public, private, and academic sectors, the UK can lead the world in obesity innovation – turning once-in-a-generation scientific breakthroughs into lasting health and prosperity for all.
