The evolution of science has enabled the roll out of weight loss injections in a clinically safe way that should drive sustainable behaviour change, according to VitalityHealth commercial director Dr Katie Tryon.
Dr Tryon (pictured centre right) also explained that half of the insurer’s members who have participated in its non-medicated weight loss approach had achieved their target weight.
She was responding to a question by Health & Protection on the thinking behind VitalityHealth adding high profile weight loss injections to its weight management pathway.
Health & Protection also asked what assurances she could give advisers on the safety of these injections and whether advisers can recommend the pathway to their customers.
Speaking at the Association of British Insurer’s (ABI) 2025 conference Dr Tryon noted the roll out followed on from the launch of its non-medicated weight loss pathway.
“We launched with Second Nature a non-medicated weight loss pathway about two years ago which we have seen a huge amount of success in,” she explained.
“We saw 48% of enrolled members achieving target weight on the non-medicated weight loss pathway.
It was for this reason, Tryon added, that Vitality has extended a medicated pathway.
“So that was why we decided to go in partnership with Second Nature on this pathway. They have been running in parallel to that over the last year.”
But a key factor is deciding whether the pathway is clinically appropriate for the customer.
“They obviously come through our system in terms of, particularly on the weight side of things, do they have the appropriate weight to be going into that journey?” Dr Tryon added.
“But then there’s a series of questions and information that needs to be provided in order to understand whether they are clinically appropriate to have access to this service.”
Evolving science
Tryon added that the partnership sits between the two organisations but Second Nature handles the clinical responsibility.
“The clinical validity of this service sits on the Second Nature side where the prescribing, the medication management, safety, side effect management [takes place],” she continued.
“As well as what we think is really important if you’re going to take these weight loss medications, is the whole holistic journey that sits around it to ensure the sustainability of any weight loss that is achieved.
“There’s a full behaviour change programme with one-to-one coaching that sits behind it as well.
“That’s really why we felt that the science has evolved and it has changed and we would like to open up that pathway to our members with a huge wrapper – both in terms of clinical safety as well as behaviour change and sustainability.”
