A major change to the price of one weight loss medication will come into effect in September – but will it affect who is eligible for the drug?
At least 500,000 people in the UK currently take weight loss jabs(Image: Getty/iStockphoto)
The price of the popular weight loss jab Mounjaro is set to nearly triple in the UK, rising from £122 to £330 for a month’s supply of the highest dose of the medicine.
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly said the 170 per cent price increase is part of a move to equalise costs across global markets, influenced by pressure from US President Donald Trump.
At least 500,000 people in the UK take either Mounjaro or Wegovy, a rival weight loss medication, through private prescriptions, according to retailers.
The drug, called tirzepatide, works as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) which is released after eating and typically makes people feel fuller.
Mounjaro, usually delivered through a self-administered weekly injection, therefore makes users feel fuller for longer and less hungry.
The move comes after the NHS rollout of Mounjaro to eligible obese patients in England, with GPs allowed to prescribe weight loss injections from June.
However, the company has emphasised that the new prices will not apply to the NHS. The higher price will affect those who pay for Mounjaro privately, but the NHS has a separate deal, a Lilly spokesperson said.
Why are Mounjaro prices going up?
When Mounjaro was launched in the UK, Lilly agreed to a list price “significantly below” that in its three other European markets to prevent delays in availability through the NHS.
“We are now aligning the list price more consistently,” Lilly said.
Mounjaro aids weight loss by making users feel fuller for longer and less hungry(Image: Peter Dazeley)
The move comes after Trump’s administration pushed for lower domestic prices and price hikes overseas, after complaining about “foreign freeloaders” who rely on the US to pay more for medicine.
Trump reportedly wrote to the leaders of pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, asking them to match US prescription drug prices with what is paid overseas.
The US pays more for prescription drugs than any other country – typically nearly three times as much as other developed nations. President Trump has said he wants to narrow this gap to stop Americans from being “ripped off”.
Who is eligible for weight loss medication?
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Mounjaro for up to 3.4 million people in England. It recommends the drug for adults living with obesity who meet certain criteria such as weight-related health problems.
Health bosses say that around 220,000 people are expected to receive Mounjaro through the NHS over the next three years – but only those with “greatest need” will be offered the drug.
In the next year, the mass roll out of the drugs will be given to certain people with a BMI over 40, or 37.5 in patients from a minority ethnic background.
These patients must have at least four out of five of the following health problems linked to obesity:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart and vascular disease
- High cholesterol
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
If Mounjaro is recommended by a healthcare professional, those using it will need to eat a balanced, reduced-calorie diet and to exercise regularly while taking it, according to the NHS website.
NHS England has confirmed that the impending price alterations will not impact how it provides the drug to eligible patients with obesity or diabetes.
In a statement, NHS England said: “Mounjaro is a cost-effective and valuable tool to support people to reach a healthier weight and the wider health and lifestyle benefits that offers.”