Manufacturer Lilly today (August 14) announced that it will increase the UK list price for its tirzepatide weight loss drug Mounjaro from September 1 “following a review”.
It said that it made the decision to “address pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries, including in Europe”.
But it stressed that it has “reached an agreement with the NHS to ensure continued supply and patient access”.
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And it said that while it “does not determine” the prices set by private healthcare providers, it is also “working with them to maintain patient access”.
Lilly confirmed to C+D that the new UK list prices of a monthly supply of Mounjaro (four weekly doses) as of September will be:
“Significantly below average”
Lilly said that it had agreed to a UK list price that was “significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability” when it first launched Mounjaro.
The UK was “one of the first countries” where it launched the drug and its “priority was to bring it to patients as quickly as possible during a time of limited supply of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) treatments for type 2 diabetes”, it added.
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But it said that it is now “aligning the list price more consistently to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation”.
This reflects “changes in the environment and new clinical evidence supporting the value of Mounjaro”, it added.
“Shocked and disappointed”
Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck said that the body was “shocked and very disappointed” by the increase in the wholesale cost of Mounjaro.
“This is a real blow to patients at a time when more and more people worried about their weight are turning to jabs,” she added.
And she urged those already taking Mounjaro to “talk to their local pharmacy before they take any action” and those considering weight loss jabs not to be “put off” as “Mounjaro is not the only option”.
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The IPA called on other weight loss drug manufacturers to “hold their nerves and hold their prices”.
“The British market for weight loss jabs is only set to grow, but it will only achieve that growth if treatment remains affordable to the average patient,” Hannbeck said.
“Transatlantic pricing row”
And online pharmacy Juniper warned that the hike on prices “will push too many people into an impossible choice between their finances and their health”.
“Stop–start therapy is the worst clinical option,” Juniper clinical lead Kevin Joshua said, adding that “for many, the pragmatic move is to switch to Wegovy”.
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“If tirzepatide becomes unaffordable, don’t quit, but plan a safe, clinician‑supervised transition to semaglutide,” he added.
“British patients shouldn’t be collateral damage in a transatlantic pricing row,” Joshua said.
It comes as amid warnings about fake weight loss medications hospitalising patients and a government announcement of a new programme to pilot “new ways” of tackling obesity such as a pharmacy service.
Read more: Weight-loss jabs balloon as 64% of young adults seek NHS script
Last week, new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommended that healthcare services provide “tailored action plans” for patients for “at least a year” after stopping weight loss medication to prevent weight regain.
Weight loss injections have seen spiralling demand, with some 64% of 25–34-year-olds seeking NHS scripts and more than a third (35%) attempting to access them in the last year through an online or in-person pharmacy, according to a recent poll.
Meanwhile, the government this week launched an investigation into the safety and quality of “private non-NHS” prescribing in the UK.
