Around 220,000 people with “greatest need” are expected to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide and made by Lilly through the NHS over the next three years
Hundreds of thousands of NHS patients will benefit from the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs from today. Around 220,000 in “greatest need” are expected to receive Mounjaro in the mass roll out over the next three years. It is the brand name for the drug tirzepatide, orginally an antidiabetic treatment which lowers blood sugar and slows down how quickly food is digested.
GPs in England are being allowed to prescribe Mounjaro to severely obese people for the first time. Patients needed to be on weight loss programmes to get the drug previously. It will initially be offered to people with a body mass index (BMI) score of over 40 in the first year of the roll out.
They will also have conditions such as type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure; heart disease; and obstructive sleep apnoea. Around 1.5m already take weight loss drugs in the UK, often through specialist weight loss services or via private prescription.
Dr Claire Fuller, from NHS England, said: “This is an important next step in the rollout of weight loss drugs, with community-based services now able to offer this treatment from today. We urgently need to address rising levels of obesity and prioritise support for those who are experiencing severe ill health and greater access to weight loss drugs will make a significant difference to the lives of those people.
“These drugs are an important tool alongside the range of wraparound NHS support and advice on good nutrition and increasing physical activity.
“They will be vital in helping some people lose weight and reduce their risk of serious long-term conditions.”
Anyone worried about their weight was urged to still speak with GPs and seek advice even if they were not eligible for the drug. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We recognise the potential benefits of weight loss drugs.
“But we know many GPs are concerned about the implications of the rollout of weight loss drugs into general practice, both in terms of workload and training to appropriately initiate and manage these treatments.
“The college shares these concerns, which is why we were pleased NHS England suggested a phased roll-out of Mounjaro as a treatment for weight loss.
“As and when this is escalated, appropriate resourcing for general practice, including access to ‘wraparound’ services, and training for GPs must follow.”
She added: “GPs and our teams are already working under intense workload and workforce pressures, and this must be factored into this rollout in order to guarantee it can be delivered safely.
“More widely, whilst weight loss medications have a lot of potential benefits for patients who are struggling to lose weight and who meet all the clinical criteria for a prescription, they mustn’t be seen as a ‘silver bullet’ to aid weight loss.
“We also need to focus on stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don’t require medical intervention later.”
The rollout of the jabs should not “come at the expense of other weight loss services”, she added. Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, told how demand for weight loss jabs continued to rise sharply. More GPs have been directing patients to local chemists to access these treatments privately.
“We expect to see prescription volumes increase rapidly,” he added. “However, NHS provision won’t meet demand straight away, so we fully expect that many people will continue seeking it privately from a pharmacy. Pharmacists are experts in medication and many of us have lots of experience delivering weight loss injections as part of a package of care including lifestyle advice.
“We are well placed to help roll out weight loss treatment on the NHS, with the right funding to support it.
“The biggest concern we have is that prescribing these medications alone misses the point. They should be part of a comprehensive weight management strategy combining lifestyle coaching, exercise, and nutritional guidance.
“In reality, many GPs lack the bandwidth to deliver the level of support needed to ensure proper understanding and follow-up.
“As a result, we could end up in a situation where patients are prescribed the medication, lose weight, and then experience rebound weight gain once the course ends, simply because the foundational lifestyle changes weren’t addressed.” Around 29 percent of the adult population in the UK is obese.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned that it is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions. “Yet we now have the science, technology, and knowledge to end the obesity epidemic, if we seize this opportunity,” he added.
“Obesity jabs are used by 1.5 million people in the UK, mainly through private prescriptions. The NHS was founded on a promise to ‘universalise the best’. We are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.”
Why it works:
Mounjaro is being rolled out gradually to those in greatest need following its success on the open market.
It contains the drug Tirzepatide which not only helps the obese to lose weight, but reduces risk of other health conditions. The fall in the number of stroke and heart attack victims should save the NHS billions in the long term.
Mounjaro is administered through a weekly injection. It was originally developed as a treatment for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Regulators authorised its use for weight loss in November 2023 in a bid to tackle obesity. Tirzepatide acts in the same way as hormones GIP and GLP-1. They are produced in the intestine after eating and make you feel full.
They also slow the passage of food through the gut which means patients feel satisfied for longer. Mounjaro ‘pens’ are for the abdomen or thighs if injecting yourself or the back of the upper arms if someone else is giving you the jab.
Experts stress that it is not a ‘miracle’ drug and ideally needs to be combined with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise. It could potentially be prescribed for 3.4m in England over time. Side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation and indigestion.
