Could a jab HELP YOU SLIM?

We take a look at whether the hype around the 'wonder weight-loss drug' is real

- JENNY ROWE

• 62% of people are worried about the long-term side effects of weight-loss jabs*

Would you be tempted by a weekly injection that would make you look slimmer in your slinky dress this party season? Recently approved by the NHS, semaglutide injections are the prescription weight-loss drug behind hundreds of UK headlines.

The likes of Sharon Osbourne and Boris Johnson have tried it, but with mixed success. While the former Prime Minister was able to stop 'raiding the fridge at 11.30pm for the Cheddar and chorizo', losing 4-5lb per week, he stopped taking the drug after he claimed it made him ill. Likewise, Sharon lost an astonishing 30lb, but said she was crippled by nausea for weeks. Severe vomiting and diarrhoea are among other reported side effects.

Yet no amount of horror stories will stem the insatiable hunger for this 'miracle' drug known as Ozempic or Wegovy. 'Demand for these treatments has increased to the point that suppliers are struggling to keep up,' says superintendent pharmacist Jana Abelovska from Click Pharmacy.

Should you think twice before jumping for the jabs? Here's what you need to know. 

OZEMPIC vs WEGOVY

Ozempic is licensed as a diabetic medicine, but is prescribed off-label, and privately, to treat obesity. Wegovy is available from your GP for weight loss.

WEIGHING UP THE OPTIONS 

Jabs could help shift the pounds - but at what cost?