Political economy of the UK pharmaceutical industry in an age of uncertainty and volatility

During this Fellowship, I will develop a research proposal for a future large-scale project exploring the societal impact of new weight-loss medications and the transformation of human conditions into targets for pharmaceutical intervention (known as ‘pharmaceuticalisation’). Obesity is one of the UK’s most pressing public health issues – in 2022, 64% of adults in England were overweight or obese. Now, a new generation of weight-loss drugs is reshaping the treatment landscape. These medications have been hailed as breakthroughs, helping patients lose up to 20% of their body weight. But behind the hype lies a bigger question: who really benefits from this transformation – patients, the NHS, or drug companies? These drugs are entering a highly commercialised healthcare environment, raising serious concerns about how public health priorities may be shaped by corporate profit motives. Companies are increasingly using sophisticated marketing strategies to increase prescriptions, from digital pharmacies, influencer advertising, and may even directly market drugs to patients, which is illegal in the UK. These activities are outpacing regulatory systems designed to safeguard patients. While most research has focused on how these drugs work, much less attention has been paid to their wider social and political consequences. My doctoral research uncovered evidence of unethical pharmaceutical practices, resulting in a formal complaint upheld by the industry watchdog, highlighting the urgent need for greater scrutiny. Building on this, I will consider methods to explore how weight-loss drugs are promoted to patients, doctors, and policymakers, and what this means for public trust, narrative shaping, and the commercialisation of healthcare. These questions are tied to broader debates about the Americanisation of UK healthcare, including the rise of direct-to-consumer style advertising; how patients’ bodies are presented and financialised through emerging and traditional forms of marketing; and whether individualised medical solutions can meaningfully address a systemic public health issue – or risk deepening weight stigma and widening inequalities. This Fellowship will also focus on the role of patient advocacy. Using a globally unique dataset developed during my doctoral studies, I will analyse over a decade of pharmaceutical industry payments to UK patient organisations. This will explore how financial relationships may shape patient organisations’ advocacy, discourse, and activities – particularly in the lead-up to major obesity drug launches. I will track the evolution of funding patterns over time, uncovering how advocacy can be both empowered and constrained by industry ties, and what this means for public trust, organisational independence, and health policy agendas. To support this work, I will undertake advanced analytical training, publish an influential research article, and translate my findings into accessible formats. To ensure my work informs wider conversations around transparency and accountability in healthcare, I will also lead a programme of public and policy engagement. This will include targeted collaboration with media, policymakers, patient organisations, and healthcare providers to ensure my research findings inform public debate and policy development. I will offer expert commentary to ongoing government and parliamentary consultations on transparency in pharmaceutical funding and ethical marketing practices. By the end of this Fellowship, I will have submitted a compelling and innovative future research proposal, published a high-impact research article, and helped shape conversations around pharmaceutical transparency, patient advocacy, and the ethics of industry-driven health solutions. At its heart, my work is about protecting public health from undue corporate influence.