Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

WeightWatchers pivots from diets to drugs in UK partnership with anti-obesity treatment provider CheqUp

by May 22, 2025
May 22, 2025
WeightWatchers pivots from diets to drugs in UK partnership with anti-obesity treatment provider CheqUp

In a dramatic departure from its traditional focus on calorie counting and group weigh-ins, WeightWatchers has announced a new strategic partnership in the UK with CheqUp, a provider of GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.

The move marks a major shift for the iconic brand, which is now aligning itself with the booming market for anti-obesity injections.

The partnership comes just weeks after WeightWatchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, a move driven by mounting debts and a declining customer base, as more people turn to medication rather than meal plans for weight loss.

Under the agreement, CheqUp patients prescribed GLP-1 medications will gain access to a customised version of the WeightWatchers app, designed specifically to support those on weight-loss injections. The platform offers expert-guided food recommendations, aimed at reducing medication side effects like nausea while promoting healthy, sustainable weight loss.

“The data is clear — our members on obesity medications who also participate in our nutritional and behavioural lifestyle programme lose 11% more weight on average than those using the medication alone,” said Scott Honken, Chief Commercial Officer at WeightWatchers.

The company, which rebranded as WW in 2018, once boasted celebrity backers including Oprah Winfrey, who became its most high-profile advocate and shareholder. But earlier this year, Winfrey announced she was leaving the company and donating her shares, shortly after revealing that her own weight-loss was achieved through the use of anti-obesity medication — rather than WW’s points-based programme.

The move to embrace weight-loss drugs is a major pivot for WeightWatchers, a brand that for decades was synonymous with non-medical, behavioural approaches to dieting. Its structured food plans, branded cookbooks, ready meals, and community-based meetings were once at the heart of the global weight-loss movement. But rising demand for prescription injections — backed by clinical trials showing significant weight loss — has changed the landscape.

GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are rapidly transforming how both patients and providers approach obesity. Despite recent enthusiasm, studies have also shown that weight tends to return once medication is stopped unless accompanied by long-term lifestyle changes — a gap WeightWatchers is aiming to fill.

“There is no doubt that the addition of WeightWatchers’ breakthrough GLP-1 companion programme will add enormously to our patients’ ability to achieve sustainable weight loss,” said James Hunt, Deputy CEO of CheqUp. “It combines science-backed tools with a global community of like-minded individuals.”

The UK partnership mirrors a similar strategy being rolled out in the US, as WeightWatchers bets its future on becoming the lifestyle partner to the global weight-loss drug industry — offering coaching, nutritional advice, and behavioural support to patients who are now choosing medication over meal plans.

While GLP-1 drug uptake in the UK remains limited compared to the US, obesity experts have urged the NHS to accelerate access to the treatments to address Britain’s growing obesity crisis — linked to rising cases of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

As the company shifts away from its legacy diet model, WeightWatchers is gambling that its next chapter lies not in telling people what to eat, but in supporting them through medical weight loss with the right tools and community.

Whether this reinvention will be enough to revive the brand’s fortunes remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: WeightWatchers has officially entered the age of prescription weight loss.

Read more:
WeightWatchers pivots from diets to drugs in UK partnership with anti-obesity treatment provider CheqUp

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Strava’s valuation jumps to $2.2bn following acquisition of UK running app Runna
next post
Federal Versus State Policies

You may also like

Gary Lineker wins £4.9 million tax battle with...

March 28, 2023

What Specifications Of A Generator Do I Need...

November 11, 2022

The Range buys collapsed Wilko’s brand in £5m...

September 13, 2023

Barclays launches £22bn fund and new business prosperity...

November 13, 2024

Fintech Payrow Launches New Tools to Automate Routine...

November 11, 2022

Alexander Meskouris Provides Insight Into His Career In...

January 9, 2023

All You Need To Know About Cryptocurrency

November 11, 2022

Is Monetary Policy the Force Behind Shifting Exchange...

January 29, 2025

Is The Apprentice setting a precedent for negative...

January 10, 2023

Cybersecurity specialist RiverSafe announces expansion plans as revenue...

May 16, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • EDF buys EV charger firm pod point for just £10m – four years after £352m london float

      June 12, 2025
    • Public opinion turns against Trump-backed tax and spending bill, new survey finds

      June 12, 2025
    • Pentagon may sink Biden-era deal to sell Australia nuclear-powered submarines

      June 12, 2025
    • California Dem tells Hegseth he’s an ’embarrassment’ to the US, should ‘get the hell out’ of the DOD

      June 12, 2025
    • RFK Jr. picks eight for vaccine panel after firing all 17 members

      June 12, 2025
    • Poll: Musk’s favorability among Republicans drops 16 points after Trump feud

      June 12, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,200)
    • Investing (2,030)
    • Politics (15,614)
    • Stocks (3,142)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved