A national digital weight management programme will support people in Scotland with type 2 diabetes thanks to a £4.5 million funding boost from government.

The programme will support 3,000 people recently diagnosed with the condition in a three-year investment commitment that is expected to help around 40% to achieve remission from the condition by the end of their first year in the programme.

The investment was announced as part of £6 million in commitments via the Accelerated National Innovations Adoption (ANIA) programme to help people with type 2 Diabetes, stroke patients and babies born with a rare genetic condition.

Two additional projects will look at pharmacogenetics – how a person’s genetics affect their response to certain drugs.

A total of £1.1 million will support testing of recent stroke patients to determine if they have a genetic variation that impairs the benefits of a drug commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of secondary stroke and which would mean an alternative drug should be considered for them.

A programme to provide a genetic test for newborn babies will also receive £800,000 funding to determine if they have a genetic variation which puts them at risk of permanent hearing loss if they are treated with a common emergency antibiotic.

Cabinet Secretary for Health Neil Gray said: “In January the First Minister laid out our vision for Scotland’s NHS with digital innovation being a crucial part of our plans to reform health services. So I am pleased to announce funding for these projects which demonstrate the transformative potential of scientific and technological innovation to improve health and social care.

“These projects have life changing effects for those who will benefit from them, resulting in improved health outcomes and a better quality of life.

“Innovation is transforming healthcare and delivering medical benefits for the people of Scotland and the NHS, which will see reduced pressures as a direct result of projects just like these.”

Gordon James, chief executive of NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “The approval of these innovative projects through the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway is a significant step in delivering transformative innovations at scale to benefit patients all across Scotland.”

Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, chief scientist, added: “Scotland’s triple helix of industry, academia and our NHS are working in partnership to lead a scientific revolution which has the power to transform healthcare. These are excellent examples of research enabled, clinically beneficial and cost-effective innovations, which should be prioritised for national adoption.”

The Accelerated National Innovation Adoption pathway is coordinated by the national Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee and draws on expertise from NHS National Services Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Public Health Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland. It introduces proven medical innovations into the NHS to improve healthcare.

The Type 2 Diabetes remission programme involves diet replacements such as soups, shakes or bars containing around 900 calories a day for the first 12 weeks. Participants will then receive intensive online support from dietitians, health and well-being coaches as they reintroduce healthy, nutritious food to their diet to maintain weight loss over the 12 month programme.  3,000 patients will be supported over three years.  The majority will benefit from an average 10% weight loss and reduction in blood pressure. All of which reduce the risk of heart disease and the need for patients to take multiple medications.  The first patients will be recruited into this programme in January 2026.

Professor Mike Lean, Clinical Senior Research Fellow/Honorary Consultant (Medicine), University of Glasgow said: “This is very good news for people living with type 2 diabetes. It is also a very welcome reward for years of clinical research and development in Scotland, to establish a reliable diet programme for substantial weight loss and remission of type 2 diabetes.  The research was mainly funded by the charity, Diabetes UK, and by Scottish Government.

“Providing a proven pathway to remission for 3,000 people, using a digital programme to people in their own homes, is a very significant step forward, and a statement of intent from the Scottish Government. It will also amplify the message widely  to other patients and their families, that this condition can be put into remission with weight loss. Human appetite is a very powerful, genetically-driven, force, so many people are not successful without extra support. This professionally-supported diet programme will allow people in Scotland who most need help to be successful.”