Millions of people will be denied the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs despite the NHS being given the green light to prescribe it.
Less than one in ten patients who meet the criteria to receive Mounjaro will receive it from health services in the next three years, the medicines regulator has confirmed.
In a blow to Labour’s health plans, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said only 220,000 of the 3.4 million eligible patients will receive the drug as part of the initial rollout.
Health officials admit that “many will have to wait” or look for alternative ways to lose weight to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed by huge demand. The unprecedented move to stagger its implementation was necessary “to protect other vital NHS services”, they added.
Its rationing leaves a gaping hole in the Prime Minister’s vision for the UK after he praised the drug’s potential to boost the country’s health and economy.
Also known as tirzepatide, the weekly medication has been hailed as a “game-changing” treatment. Costing £122 a month, regulators say it should be prescribed alongside a low-calorie diet and exercise. According to the guidelines, it is recommended for people with a body mass index greater than 35 and at least one weight-related illness.
But only a fraction will make it, and doctors should prioritize patients already receiving care from weight management services. It will be available to these patients within 90 days after the final guidance is published on December 23.
The prescribing criteria will be reviewed in three years, by which time the NHS hopes to have determined how best to administer it on the massive scale required. Professor Jonathan Benger, Nice’s medical director, said: “The world will be very different in three years’ time, which is why we have taken the unprecedented decision to review the way this medicine is given to patients at that time.” .
Less than one in ten patients who meet the criteria to receive Mounjaro will be received by the health service in the next three years, the medicines regulator has confirmed.
‘Only those with the greatest clinical need will be treated initially. “We have had to make this difficult decision to protect other vital NHS services.” The decision comes as Sir Keir Starmer is expected to promise an assault on NHS waiting times today, in what has been called the party’s “relaunch” after five months in power.
NHS leaders are said to be concerned about a rumored target of 92 per cent of trusts meeting 18-week waiting times on routine appointments by March 2029, something that has not been achieved for a decade. Addressing the obesity crisis will be key to this, as around two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, making it the second most common cause of preventable death after smoking.
Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is the second in this class of weight-loss drugs approved for use on the NHS after Wegovy last year. It works by reducing food cravings and making the stomach empty more slowly, resulting in weight loss. He earned the reputation of being the ‘King Kong’ of slimming punches for his impressive results during testing. The latest results published yesterday showed that patients typically lost more than 20 percent of their body weight, compared with less than 14 percent when taking semaglutide, the key ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic.
Almost a third (32 per cent) lost at least a quarter of their body weight after 72 weeks, twice as much as their main rival.
In a blow to Labour’s health plans, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said only 220,000 of the 3.4 million eligible patients will receive the drug as part of the initial rollout.
Growing evidence has also shown that they could be key to a variety of additional health benefits, from reducing heart disease to some types of cancer. But the drugs are not without risks, and last month the first death in the UK linked to the drug was confirmed.
It is estimated to cost NHS England around £317.2 million a year by year three, a fraction of the £11.4 billion currently spent on obesity-related diseases.
A source said senior NHS officials were behind the “overly cautious” rollout, despite widespread recognition that the jabs are likely to be a “game changer” in the country’s battle against obesity. Last month, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard privately warned that plans to deliver blows against obesity in the NHS risk overwhelming a service already stretched to breaking point.
Dr Kath McCullough, obesity adviser for NHS England, advised against viewing the drug as a “magic bullet”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Obesity can be debilitating and cost lives, the economy and the NHS. However, we must be cautious and recognize that these medications are not a substitute for a good diet and exercise.”