WeightWatchers facing trouble due to sharp rise of weight-loss medication (2025)

The popular diet and health company has been around for more than six decades but is struggling in the face of stiff competition from weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy

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WeightWatchers is in big trouble amid the rise of weight-loss drugs.

It has been reported that the business could soon file for bankruptcy to reorganise debts and avoid liquidation. “A number of options are being considered, negotiations are ongoing with lenders and bondholders,” a source said.

Figures from December reveal one in seven Brits have taken one of the drugs, which are administered through jabs, or know someone who has. As demand for them soars companies like New York-based WW International have suffered. Revenues fell by the equivalent of over £79million to £600m in 2024 and the share price plunged by 90% over the past year.

In another blow, TV star Oprah Winfrey stepped down from its board after she admitted to using weight-loss drugs. The diet and health company - known as WW since 2018 - has been around since 1963 and at one point dominated the industry with people signed up across the UK and US.

But its future looks tricky with around £1billion of loans and bonds due in 2028 and 2029. Investment bank Morgan Stanley estimates the global market for weight-loss drugs could be £81.3bn by 2030. An estimated 500,000 Brits are on one of the treatments.

Elsewhere, private health insurer Vitality announced in February the offer of discounted weight loss treatments for up to one year as part of its health cover. Customers with a BMI of over 35 can now receive 20% off Wegovy and Mounjaro medications, which are only available at specialist NHS clinics.

The company is the UK’s third-largest health insurer behind Bupa and Axa and covers 1.9 million people. The coverage includes access to coaching with dieticians to support weight loss efforts.

Dr Katie Tryon, chief commercial director at Vitality, said the move could improve productivity and save businesses cash. She said: “Over the last 10 years, we have seen obesity increasingly becoming an issue within the working environment.

"For businesses, obesity has a huge impact on productivity, as well as recruitment and retention of staff. Over the past year, the potential of weight-management medications has become more evident.

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"While they are not a universal solution, they can be a useful tool in improving health. We are proud to be the first UK insurer to be offering this as part of our health insurance."

She added the jabs provide “amazing results” and could reduce the number of workers suffering obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The move could see other insurers providing weight-loss drugs as part of workplace schemes, with around 15 million adults in the UK having a BMI over 30, which is the threshold for obesity.

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