Weight-loss drugs could halve sickness absence and significantly reduce the strain on the NHS, research suggests. A UK study of patients who received GLP-1 jabs for nine months found sickness days fell by nearly half and sickness absence lasting five days or more fell by more than 50%. Analysis of the findings suggests expanding access could cut A&E attendance by obese patients by a quarter and free up nearly 10m GP appointments. The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, assessed 1,270 NHS patients on Oviva’s tier 3 weight management programme. All were prescribed GLP-1 injections for their weight alongside at least three weight-related illnesses, most commonly anxiety, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. The majority took semaglutide (either Wegovy for weight loss or Ozempic for type 2 diabetes). After nine months, they lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight, while patients’ average BMI fell from 45 to 39.…