The NHS spent £574m on weight loss drug Mounjaro in 2025/26 in England, a 377% increase on the previous year, according to the latest prescription data released by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
The data, published on June 4, revealed a significant uptick in the amount the NHS is spending on Mounjaro, compared to the 2024/25 spend of £120m.
The total cost of community prescriptions in the 2025/26 financial year was £11.6bn, meaning Mounjaro now represents 5% of the total NHS spend on medicine.
Dispensed
Overall, there were 1.3 billion prescription items dispensed in the community in 2025/26.
The most dispensed was Atorvastatin, used to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease, at 78 million items, or 6% of the number of items dispensed by the NHS in England.
Atorvastatin was also the most prescribed medication the year before, with 73 million items prescribed.
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The overall number of items dispensed increased by 3% from 2024/25, with 1.26 billion prescription items dispensed in 2024/26.
The cost of medicines increased by 4%, on the £11.2bn spent the previous year.
Relentless
“This is yet more data showing pharmacies dispensing more prescriptions than ever before, despite the network being at its smallest for 20 years,” said National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg.
“The cost of medication is trending relentlessly upwards and the government needs to step in to stabilise the situation and bring an end to pharmacies dispensing at a loss.”
“It’s clear that pharmacies are dealing with record volumes of medication and need the support from the government to meet this huge demand.”
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Mounjaro was rolled out as part of a three year programme by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in December 2024, with 3.4 million patients in the UK estimated to be eligible.
The organisation set out a £317m annual fund for the NHS rollout of the drug.
Mounjaro was first made available through private pharmacies in February 2024, with Superdrug and pharmacy provider Pharmadoctor being the first to offer the jabs.
