Last week, The Telegraph revealed that Britain has never been fatter, with the average middle-aged man now weighing 14st, while a woman of the same age typically weighs 12st. The figures have risen by about 1st since the 1990s.

Health officials recently announced the rollout of weight-loss jabs across the NHS. The phased rollout would see tirzepatide rolled out to 250,000 people in the next three years, starting with those who are morbidly obese and reaching 1.6 million people over 12 years.

David A Ricks, the chairman and chief executive of Lilly, said: “We welcome this opportunity to partner with the UK Government on tackling and preventing disease, and accelerating innovation to advance care delivery models.”

Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, said: “Obesity is one of the biggest public health issues we face, and we know weight-loss drugs will be a game-changer, alongside earlier prevention strategies, in supporting many more people to lose weight and reduce their risk of killer conditions like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.”