Several online pharmacies are experiencing shortages of Eli Lilly’s weight loss injection Mounjaro following the manufacturer’s announcement earlier this month that the price of the drug will rise in the UK by up to 170% from September.
Superdrug’s Online Doctor has posted a message on its website stating that “due to a national shortage” of Mounjaro, the drug is “currently out of stock”.
Read more: BREAKING: Lilly hikes Mounjaro price to address ‘inconsistencies’
The health and beauty giant did not provide any information on when the jab will be back in stock or what its new price will be, but noted that it is “still negotiating with the supplier”.
“As soon as the decision on price is confirmed we will update our website and email patients who are signed up for updates,” an FAQ section on its website said.
“Immoral practice”
In response to a question on whether patients can “order more than one pen or a treatment pack”, Superdrug Online Doctor stated that weight loss injections can be ordered in advance.
“If you’d like to plan ahead, you can order more of your weight loss injections in advance, up to two months of the same dose,” it said, adding that “this helps ensure you have a continuous supply without interruptions in your treatment”.
It did, however, note that “it isn’t possible to order different strengths together in advance” because treatment must follow a “safe step-up (titration) process moving from one dose to the next in order”.
Read more: Revealed: Lilly creates ‘Mounjaro rebate scheme’ for pharmacies
But private services provider Pharmadoctor chief executive Graham Thoms told C+D yesterday (August 26) that it is “actively discouraging its partner pharmacies” from selling Mounjaro bundles.
This sort of “immoral practice...will cause unnecessary added pressure on the supply chain of treatments like Mounjaro and lead to shortages, which could put the health of patients at risk”, he stressed.
Thoms last week told C+D that pharmacists were asking whether they can provide patients with multiple months’ supply of Mounjaro at the same time to “keep the price down” but warned that this “would not be clinically appropriate”.
“Unprecedented demand”
Superdrug Online Doctor is not the only online pharmacy facing Mounjaro shortages.
Simple Online Pharmacy issued an “important Mounjaro update” on its website stating that the weight loss jab is “currently only available to existing patients”.
“Due to unprecedented demand, processing times are five to seven days,” it added.
Read more: CPE ‘urgently seeking assurances’ over Mounjaro reimbursement
Meanwhile, both CheqUp – an online pharmacy that only offers weight loss services - and the Independent Pharmacy have “out of stock” notices for Mounjaro 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg injections on their websites.
“Unfortunately this item is now out of stock,” the latter’s website said, adding that it “[expects] it to be available again from September 1”.
CheqUp chief executive Toby Nicol today told C+D that it has “taken the top four doses of Mounjaro off sale for new customers in order to safeguard supply for existing patients” amid “significantly” increased demand since the price rise was announced.
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“Lilly is rightly managing pharmacy distribution to prevent stockpiling” ahead of the price change and CheqUp has acted to ensure it doesn’t “offer products [it] cannot guarantee to deliver”, he added.
C+D approached Superdrug and all other mentioned pharmacies for comment.
Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck also warned earlier this month that members had been “dealing with worried patients, many of whom are enquiring about stocking up before the price increase hits”.
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Last week, Pharmadoctor revealed to C+D that its “partner pharmacies” will be able to charge their patients “much less” after the price hike as part of a Mounjaro rebate scheme.
Meanwhile, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) last week said that it is “urgently seeking assurances” from the government that NHS reimbursement for dispensing Mounjaro will reflect the upcoming “higher list prices”.
