MPs demand wider NHS access to weight loss jab Mounjaro

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 03:57 · Archive

MPs say only 6% of eligible patients will receive Mounjaro on the NHS by 2028, far too few.

A cross-party group of MPs has warned that the NHS plan to roll out the weight-loss injection Mounjaro to 220,000 people by 2028 is 'woefully small' and fails to meet the scale of need. This represents only about 6 per cent of the estimated 2.8 million eligible patients. The Health and Social Care Committee says the current approach is 'unambitious' given the challenge of obesity affecting millions of Britons.

The limited availability on the NHS is creating what MPs describe as a 'two-tier system'. Over one million people have already paid privately for weight-loss injections, spending upwards of £300 a month, whilst those unable to afford private treatment face long waits or turn to unlicensed products bought online. The NHS is currently working on a 12-year rollout for Mounjaro, though this is under review. If all eligible patients were given the drug immediately, it would cost the NHS an estimated £15.2 billion over five years.

The MPs say the NHS could reduce costs and speed up access by learning from private providers, who often use digital platforms to oversee prescribing and monitoring rather than relying solely on GPs. The committee also calls for a crackdown on the black market for weight-loss drugs, arguing that greater NHS availability would reduce the risk of patients buying dangerous unlicenced products online.

How it is being reported

• Calls for urgent review of NHS Mounjaro rollout as ‘people being let down’The slow rollout of the weight-loss drug on the NHS has sparked major concerns among MPs as millions turn to private firms to source the drugThe Mirror · 23 Oct, 04:02
• Give more people weight loss jabs on the NHS, say MPsCurrent plans for 6% of eligible patients to get Mounjaro by 2028 unambitious, say MPs.BBC News · 23 Oct, 00:06
• Give millions more weight loss jabs, MPs demand - as report shows just 6% of eligible patients are offered MounjaroA damning cross-party report shows just 6 per cent of the millions of eligible patients will get access to the injections as part of the NHS' three year roll-out, which began in 2024.Daily Mail · 23 Oct, 00:02

In this story: NHS · Health and Social Care Committee · Mounjaro · NICE · Wegovy · England

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