Once confined to diabetes clinics, weight-loss injections have gone mainstream.

Celebrities praise them, pharmacies advertise them, and demand is booming. But should these jabs be available to everyone who wants them via the NHS?

Cost is the main flashpoint. These drugs don’t come cheap — often hundreds of pounds per month privately — putting them out of reach for many who could benefit. If access depends on wealth, we risk creating a two-tier system where only those who can afford it get effective treatment, widening health inequalities rather than narrowing them.

Supporters argue yes. Obesity is a complex, chronic condition shaped by genetics, poverty, stress and ultra-processed food. For many, diet and exercise alone simply don’t work long-term. Weight-loss jabs can reduce appetite, improve blood sugar and cut the risk of heart disease. Making them widely available could prevent illness, reduce stigma and ultimately save health services money.

Critics aren’t convinced. Supplies are limited, and there’s concern that people with the greatest medical need could be pushed aside by those seeking quick fixes or cosmetic weight loss. Long-term effects are still being studied, and relying on injections may distract from deeper solutions: healthier food systems, better urban design and early prevention. There’s also the risk of reinforcing the idea that thinner is always better.

Perhaps the real question isn’t whether weight-loss jabs should exist, but how they’re used. Should access be universal, or carefully prioritised? And can medicine tackle obesity without letting society off the hook?