Eli Lilly and UK Gov: Backing 12 Obesity Projects with £85m

According to the NHS, approximately 30% of adults in England live with obesity and more than 66% are either overweight or obese.

Obesity is linked with severe health issues like heart disease, stroke and diabetes, costing the UK approximately £107bn (US$143bn) annually.

To tackle obesity and the cost of it, the UK Government and Eli Lilly is providing a £85m (US$114m) grant to fund 12 obesity projects from apps and round-the-clock advice on WhatsApp to AI-powered triage.

The Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme

Patients across the UK are set to receive easier access to obesity care via the Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP).

The OPIP is funded with £50m (US$67m) from the UK Gov and £35m (US$47m) from Eli Lilly, easing long term pressure on frontline health services by using technology to provide better accessibility.

The projects are set to involve patients in Norfolk, Suffolk and north east Essex, providing care more quickly via AI-assisted triage.

People worried about their weight are set to be able to fill in a short online form from home, allowing for the correct advice, dietitian or specialist to be allocated.

In Kent, up to 3,300 families, from pregnancy through a child’s early years, are set to receive round-the-clock, AI-powered support on healthy eating, physical activity, sleep and managing stress, delivered directly through WhatsApp. 

Parents can ask questions whenever they need help, whether they're worried about feeding a toddler in the middle of the night or looking for advice on their child's wellbeing and receive an instant response. 

By providing trusted guidance at any time, the service will aim to help families get the support they need without having to book a GP or clinic appointment.

“Almost one in three adults in this country are living with obesity – that’s millions of people who deserve real support,” says Liz Kendall, Science Secretary for the UK Government.

“These pioneering projects will meet people where they are – whether that is through a pharmacy round the corner, an app on their phone, or support in their own language. 

“For a parent trying to give their child the best start, or someone who has struggled to access help for years, that can make all the difference.  

“The evidence these projects generate will help remove the barriers that have stopped too many people getting the help they need, shaping better health services in the future for every one of us.”

In Leicester and Northamptonshire, patients are due to be able to access weight management support through an initial six new neighbourhood hubs based in local settings such as community pharmacies and gyms. 

Children and adults can be referred online or through their GP, school or local council and can have access to healthy lifestyle advice, age-appropriate digital tools for young people and, where clinically appropriate, weight loss medication. 

Whether people seek support in person or online, they are due to be guided to the care that best meets their needs, with a particular focus on reaching deprived, Black, South Asian and rural communities that currently face the greatest barriers to accessing support.

In Northern Ireland, people are set to be able to refer themselves directly into NHS weight management services and work with an NHS clinician to set personalised goals, avoiding the need to wait for a GP appointment. 

Meanwhile, for the first time, people across Wales are due to have a single, clear route into NHS weight management support, available in both English and Welsh, regardless of where they live.

Obesity in the UK

According to the UK Government, obesity is one of the UK’s most pressing issues, impacting one third of adults in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and one in four in Wales.

The government states that obesity costs society £107bn (US$143bn) annually with a direct bill to the NHS of £9bn (US$12bn).

Limited access to effective weight loss interventions, like specialist advice, guided physical activity or medicines, remains a key barrier for patients who need support.  

OPIP aims to transform outcomes for a wide range of people, including people in deprived rural communities, minority ethnic communities and people with young families and disabilities.

By focusing on the communities that face the greatest barriers to accessing care, these projects aim to maximise their impact, helping to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for those who stand to benefit most.

“Obesity is a significant health challenge for the UK,” says Chris Stokes, President and General Manager, Eli Lilly UK and Northern Europe.

“We are proud to work with the government to support NHS partners in projects which have the potential to modernise obesity services and make a genuine difference in the lives of people living with obesity.”

The pilots will also aim to help shape the future of obesity care, generating evidence on what works so successful approaches can be expanded and adopted more widely across the country.

The announcement builds on the government's wider action to tackle the UK's obesity epidemic, including restricting junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and online at all times, measures expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories a year from children's diets, alongside giving local authorities new powers to prevent new fast food outlets from opening near schools.

The government has also consulted on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s to help protect children's physical and mental health and is updating the School Food Standards to ensure every child has access to nutritious, healthy meals.

Further action includes extending free school meals to every child in a household receiving Universal Credit and rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country, helping children start the school day well fed and ready to learn.

To help families on the lowest incomes, the value of Healthy Start payments has increased by 10%, making it easier for parents to buy healthy food for their young children. 

From January 2028, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will also aim to be expanded to include pre-packed milk-based and milk-substitute drinks, building on a policy that reduced the average sugar content of in-scope soft drinks by 47% between 2015 and 2024.

By the end of this Parliament, large food businesses will aim to be required to report against standardised metrics on healthier food sales, improving transparency and accountability across the food industry while supporting healthier choices for consumers.

Eli Lilly’s weight management 

According to Eli Lilly, obesity is a complex, chronic disease influenced by a combination of biological, genetic, environmental and behavioural factors, rather than simply individual choice or willpower.

The company says tackling obesity requires a personalised, compassionate approach that combines lifestyle support with evidence-based treatments, including medicines where clinically appropriate, while reducing the stigma that can prevent people from seeking care.

Through its LillyDirect platform, the company also aims to make access to prescribed Eli Lilly medicines more straightforward by offering transparent pricing, integrated savings support and the option of free home delivery or retail pickup for selected medicines.

Eli Lilly says the service helps patients and healthcare professionals navigate the prescribing process, from selecting a treatment and coordinating prescriptions to managing insurance, prior authorisations and refills.

The platform also allows people to search for independent in-person or virtual healthcare providers and access information about Eli Lilly medicines, including obesity treatments such as Zepbound and Mounjaro.

The company says these services are designed to make it easier for eligible patients to access appropriate treatment and ongoing support as part of a broader approach to obesity care.