WeightWatchers scraps business model to team up with anti-obesity drugs provider

Demand for WeightWatchers’ services has fallen in recent years, as people looking to lose weight have increasingly turned to injections such as Wegovy. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

WeightWatchers is teaming up with a provider of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, in a seismic shift for the brand away from a focus on dieting as it tries to turn around its struggling business.

WeightWatchers, which has promoted a non-medical, points-based approach to food intake since its creation in the 1960s, has announced a strategic partnership in the UK with CheqUp, a provider of GLP-1 weight-loss medication and accompanying clinical support and health coaching.