Experts have warned that millions of people hoping to get King Kong’s Mounjaro weight loss jab on the NHS may have their hopes dashed by the NHS’s glacial rollout plan.
Health chiefs announced yesterday that 250,000 obese patients a year will receive the drug, which helps people lose up to a fifth of their body weight.
But experts have told MailOnline that the eligibility criteria were “very strict” and the proposed timeline was “too slow”.
Obesity treatment expert Professor Alexander Miras of Imperial College London said double the amount needs to be offered annually to avoid driving desperate dieters to expensive private clinics or risky black market versions.
He said: ‘I I appreciate the NHS is under-resourced, but I don’t agree with the timetable – the number of people they aim to treat is too slow.
Under current guidelines, only those with type 2 diabetes who do not have the disease under control are eligible to receive Mounjaro through the health service.
‘We should consider double the amount they propose due to the high demand for these drugs.
‘They have prioritized people with health complications to receive the medicine first, which is very reasonable.
‘But only those with a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or more will get it.
“It should depend solely on the complications of the disease, rather than the BMI.”
Almost one in three adults in England are obese (with a BMI over 30), while two thirds are overweight.
In June, the World Health Organization issues an alert about dangerous fake weight loss jabs that have been found in numerous countries, including the UK.
In some cases, counterfeits were found to have toxic ingredients, and there have been numerous reports of UK users becoming seriously ill and even dying after using unreliable injections.
The black market has emerged amid massive demand and subsequent widespread shortages of weight-loss vaccines, including Ozempic and Wegovy.
The hope was that the launch of Mounjaro would alleviate this, however Dr Simon Cork, senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, told MailOnline that the criteria for accessing the drug are “very strict, particularly in the first phase “.
He added: “This will only include a very small number of patients, but it points to the pressures “You probably have access to this medication as well.”
Others, however, suggested that the staggered rollout was simply a result of “NHS cost constraints”.
Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, told MailOnline: ‘The phased rollout is just a reality of the current cost of medicines given NHS cost constraints.
“There are better ways than a BMI above 40 as the first limit to reach the goal.” people with the greatest need, but it is simple and easily understandable.
“We have to start somewhere and we will see progressively more appropriate use of these weight loss medications over time, which will benefit a substantial number of people who really need sustainable weight loss.”
Tirzepatide works by suppressing two appetite-regulating hormones (GLP-1), causing people to feel fuller for longer while experiencing fewer food cravings.
The vaccine must be given in a four-dose pen, which provides a month’s worth of treatment when used once a week, Nice said.
Previously it was only available in single doses.
Mounjaro is expected to provide an alternative to Wegovy, or semaglutide, which has also been in short supply due to overwhelming demand.
Experts, however, warned that private demand for the jab could put “pressure” on their own supplies and called on the drug’s maker, US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, to increase it.
Dr Carel Le Roux, consultant in metabolic medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, told MailOnline: ‘We need to put more pressure on companies to increase supply.
According to the latest data, digestive problems were the most common side effects of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro. These included about one in five participants who suffered from nausea and diarrhea, and about one in 10 reported vomiting or diarrhea.
Some Americans are already using it “off label.” One of them is Matthew Barlow, a 48-year-old health technology executive living in California, who said he has lost more than 100 pounds since November 2022 using Mounjaro and changing his diet.
“We need to treat more patients to achieve optimal health for the NHS.”
Meanwhile, Professor Richard Holt, an expert in diabetes and endocrinology at the University of Southampton, told MailOnline: ‘I’m not surprised by the demand in the NHS and private sector.
‘The disruption to the supply of GLP-1 receptor agonists over the past year has caused concern among both people with diabetes and healthcare professionals.
‘It is never good for people to have to “stop or start” or “switch” a treatment due to supply problems. So far, Eli Lilly has successfully managed the launch of Mounjaro in the UK to reduce the likelihood of shortages.
“However, the proposed NHS rollout of Mounjaro for obesity will further increase demand, which may put pressure on supplies.”
Patients in the US can now receive the weight-loss vaccine “off-label” from some doctors, and many are sharing their incredible transformation.
One overweight man claimed the medication helped him lose up to 100 pounds (45.4 kg).
Before and after images show the transformation of Matthew Barlow, a 48-year-old health technology executive living in California.
He began using the drug last November. At the same time, he also changed his diet and lifestyle, as recommended.
‘Psychologically, you don’t want to eat. “Now I can eat two bites of dessert and be satisfied,” he said.
But like all drugs, Mounjaro is not without side effects.
The MHRA has warned that the drug may affect the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill in overweight or obese female patients.
Other possible side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting (which usually goes away over time), and constipation.
Low blood sugar levels are also “very common” in patients with diabetes, the agency added.
A trial of 900 participants also found that a fifth suffered from nausea and diarrhea, and about one in ten reported vomiting or constipation.
Other people who took the drug outside of clinical trials reported experiencing hair loss while taking Mounjaro.
A link to an increased risk of cancer from the injection has also been suggested.
The European Medicines Agency said this year that research in rodents has suggested that artificial hormones packaged in tirzepatide could increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer.