Novo's inability to keep up with a burst in U.S. demand for Wegovy has effectively delayed the launch in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. A company spokesperson would not comment on any commitment to supply its drug for the British pilot. The British government said that only 35,000 people would have access to Wegovy under the specialist hospital services, but tens of thousands more could be eligible. Duane Mellor, a dietitian and senior lecturer at Aston University's medical school, told Reuters drugs like Wegovy were a tool, not the solution. Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that triggers the feeling of fullness in the body after eating.

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