MOUNJARO hysteria has reached its peak as the new prices come into effect TODAY.
Jabbers face paying between £270 and £340 for the highest dose of Mounjaro, compared to the previous average of £200, but we’ve been scouring private providers for the best deals so you don’t have to.
It’s a new dawn as the price of Mounjaro in the UK soars to meet that of the rest of the world[/caption]
Customers will now pay as much as £340 for the highest 15mg dose, compared to an average of £200 previously[/caption]
After The Sun revealed pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly would be raising bills, the past two weeks have seen a surge in orders – so much so that stock shortages have forced pharmacies to put a freeze on orders and even cancel some in process.
As patients scrambled to grab their magic ‘skinny pens’ at the lower price, the hunt for the best deal has taken over, with more than a million Brits estimated to be buying the injection privately.
US-based Eli Lilly & Co said it will increase British prices to match the rest of Europe after offering bargain rates for more than a year.
From today, the UK wholesale price for a month’s supply of the minimum 2.5mg dose will cost pharmacies £133 (up from £92), with a 10mg dose rising from £107 to £255 and the maximum 15mg from £122 to £330.
Pharmacies were blindsided by the decision, but said last week they would be able to offer the jabs at discounts, so customers would not pay as much as they had feared.
But while many companies claimed they would absorb as much of the costs as possible, most have still increased costs by more than 50 per cent.
Chemist4U, MedExpress and ZAVA – all popular providers – have each hiked prices by 55 per cent.
Only a couple have managed to keep costs below the dreaded £300 bracket, including Happy Pharmacy (£275.99) and the cheapest – Curely, at £270 with a subscription.
Curely told The Sun its prices were for new and existing customers, adding: “There is no additional cost to subscribe. There are no contracts or tie-in periods — customers can cancel or pause their subscription at any time.”
Mounjaro has been dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of fat jabs because it has huge success for shedding unwanted fat, and fast. People on it can expect up to six times more weight loss than if they just used diet and exercise alone.
Now that it’s more costly, patients are being encouraged to switch to Wegovy (the brand name for semaglutide, also the drug in Ozempic), to carry on their weight loss journey.
It’s cheaper, but users can expect to lose 15 per cent of their weight, compared to the 20 per cent on Mounjaro.
A ‘washout period’ – where users stop taking all active medications to allow their effects to dissipate from their body – may be necessary, depending on the provider.
Both drugs are part of a class known as glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They mimic a natural gut hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, curb appetite, and slow digestion so you stay fuller for longer.
Here, we reveal how prices are changing at 10 pharmacies from today – and how much you could save by switching to Wegovy.
Can I get Mounjaro on the NHS for free instead?
You CAN get Mounjaro on the NHS, but it will be tricky.
Most people buy their jabs – otherwise they could be waiting years.
That’s because the rollout is slow, even for those who meet the strict criteria.
The current criteria for getting treatment on the NHS are:
BMI Requirement: 40 or greater, or 37.5 or greater if from a Black, Asian, or other minority background
Age Requirement: Over 18 years old
Health Conditions: Must have at least four confirmed diagnoses from the following conditions:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Dyslipidaemia (unhealthy levels of lipids/fats in the blood)
- Cardiovascular disease
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
Juniper +36 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £249
- New price: £339
Juniper is the most costly place to buy Mounjaro – even more so from September 1. But its programme includes access to personalised health coaching and wraparound support, including peer support.
Tim Doyle, Juniper CEO, said: “Our latest patient survey shows that only eight per cent plan to stay on Mounjaro when the new prices take effect. That tells you everything.
“Switching to Wegovy through Juniper can save £659 over six months.”
Its website says Juniper patients lose an average of 23 per cent body weight in one year.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £149 – £214
Boots +65 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £249
- New price: £335
At Boots Online Doctor, patients have the option to choose from weight loss meds alone, or with extra support.
Its lowest dose of Mounjaro is £177.30 – among the highest of all providers anaylased – but new customers can get 10 per cent off.
Switching to Wegovy, though, could save you up to £129 if you are on the highest dose.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £125.10 – £206
CheqUp +57 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £209
- New price: £329
CheqUp had hoped to prevent some of the additional costs for its customers, but unfortunately, prices have gone up by 57 per cent.
The website says: “Unlike some other providers, we offer the vital wraparound support for nutrition, eating habits, exercise, motivation and mindset to unlock better results through our team of brilliant Health Coaches.”
But, it announced today it would be freezing the cost of two doses.
It will maintain the old prices of Mounjaro for 2.5mg (£149) and 5mg doses (£169).
Notably, CheqUp has the cheapest Wegovy pricing and says it’s seen a 27-fold surge in sales of the drug.
It costs £160 to use its highest (2.4mg) dose – recommended for those on 15mg Mounjaro who can save £169.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £85 – £160
Mounjaro has helped hundreds of thousands of people drop a significant amount of weight. But now, the tides are turning as patients look to the cheaper alternative, Wegovy[/caption]
MedExpress +55 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £199.99
- New price: £309.99
On to the more budget pharmacies now – MedExpress has had hundreds of thousands of loyal customers.
But many of them are waiting for their orders after the company experienced Mounjaro shortages.
It has been out of stock of all doses, other than 2.5mg. And MedExpress has not been able to order more stock until today.
The company told Sun Health: “Following Eli Lilly’s recent price increase of Mounjaro, we’ve made the difficult decision to adjust the price of this medication for our patients.
“We understand this change may feel challenging and our priority is to provide our patients with support every step of the way. Our commitment remains the same: helping patients continue their weight loss journey, whether with Mounjaro or other clinically-proven alternatives such as Wegovy.”
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £99 – £199
Chemist4U +55 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £199
- New price: £308
Chemist4U, similar to MedExpress, have priced up Mounjaro by around 55 per cent.
But it is out of stock, and currently, is still fulfilling August orders at the old price.
James O’Loan, CEO and Superintendent Pharmacist at Chemist4U, says: “Our updated pricing for September is confirmed but will not be going live on the website until we have received our delivery of stock from the manufacturer.
“Despite our best efforts to secure more stock sooner, to help ease patients’ concerns about delays to their orders, the manufacturer recently informed us that it would not release our September orders early and we must wait until the scheduled delivery next week.
“Once we receive the new higher priced stock, we’ll be sending out existing orders as a priority at no extra cost to those patients. We’ll then update website with the new prices.”
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £99 – £199
Mounjaro vs Wegovy – effectiveness, side effects and more
IF you’re worrying about how you’ll fork out for the new Mounjaro prices, what about switching to Wegovy?
Mounjaro and Wegovy are both injections for weight loss that have been approved and licensed in the UK, with Mounjaro being slightly newer.
Mounjaro’s key ingredient is tirzepatide, while Wegovy contains semaglutide – both of these are GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Semaglutide is a drug originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, which was sold under the name Ozempic.
How do you take it?
Wegovy and Mounjaro are both weekly injections with different dosing schedules.
Wegovy starts at 0.25mg weekly and is gradually increased to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg, while Mounjaro begins at 2.5 mg weekly and can be stepped up to a maximum of 15 mg.
Which one can help you lose more weight?
In clinical trials called ‘SURMOUNT’, sponsored by Eli Lilly, people on Wegovy lost around 15 per cent of their body weight on average over about 68 weeks, while those on Mounjaro lost up to 21 per cent in a similar time frame.
Mounjaro trials show 96 per cent of people lose 5 per cent bodyweight or more, while Wegovy, the figure is 84 per cent.
What about side effects?
Wegovy and Mounjaro share most of the same side effects because they work in similar ways.
Common issues include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, and stomach pain or bloating.
But clinical trials have also shown that Wegovy has a higher rate of nausea.
Serious side effects, such as gallbladder problems or pancreatitis, are rare but possible with both medications.
Should you switch?
You may experience results at a slower rate with Wegovy and it’s thought to cause more side effects, but it is still hugely successful and at a cheaper rate.
Professor Franklin Joseph, head of Dr Frank’s weight loss clinic, told Sun Health: ” In the end, the choice often comes down to cost, availability, side effect tolerance, and a discussion between doctor and patient.”
ZAVA +55 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £199.99
- New price: £309.99
ZAVA says all its old stock at the lower price have been allocated to existing customers.
When switching to Wegovy, it said it would not be encouraging customers to take a break.
It said: “No washout period is necessary when switching. The first dose of Wegovy can be taken 7 days after the last dose of Mounjaro, and vice versa.”
ZAVA also offers free advice and support and diet guidance as part of its package.
It said it would be lowering the price of Wegovy, too, but other providers have cheaper deals.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £99 – £189.99
Simple Online Pharmacy +46 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £204.95
- New price: £299.99
Simple, with 250,000 weight loss patients, have just about kept 15mg under the £300 mark for their customers.
The highest dose of Mounjaro is now £299.99, meaning those on it can expect to pay an extra £95.
The pharmacy will resume taking new customers from today, with the lowest dose set at £159.99 – a 24 per cent jump.
Addy Mohammed, Co-founder and CEO, Simple Online Pharmacy, said: “Following the Eli Lilly pricing announcement we immediately paused offering Mounjaro to new patients to ensure we maintained adequate supplies for existing patients.
“We are now able to re-open our Mounjaro offering for all patients and offer this alongside the option to switch safely to Wegovy.”
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £119 – £169
Asda +50 per cent
- Old price (15mg): 198.98
- New price: £299
Asda Online Doctor have upped the cost of Mounjaro by almost £100 for those on the highest dose – a 50 per cent rise.
Customers have said they are shocked at the price jump, and many saw their orders cancelled last minute due to stock issues, leaving them unable to get jabs at the lower price.
But Asda’s prices are still relatively low compared to the rest of the market.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £98.98 – £198.97
Happy Pharmacy +39 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £199
- New price: £275.99
Happy Pharmacy are offering low rates for Mounjaro jabbers due to its “simple model”.
It had the second lowest price for Mounjaro of all the pharmacies we analysed, at £275.99.
It says there are also a number of available discount codes throughout the site, which range from five to 10 per cent off.
The website says: “We have had to place a limit of 2x per order and there may be a delay processing your order.”
Happy Pharmacy also offers the lowest price for the starting dose of 2.5mg, at £133.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £99 – £199
Curely +33 per cent
- Old price (15mg): £202.49 (£222.49 without subscription)
- New price: £270 (£300 without subscription)
Curely is offering the lowest price of Mounjaro on the market with its subscription service.
Without a subscription, the highest dose is still the second cheapest in our analysis.
It’s currently taking new customers but says: “Due to high demand, please allow extra time for your order to be processed and delivered. Thank you for your patience.”
For Mounjaro 2.5mg, customers will pay £136.80 – 31 per cent lower than MedExpress, for example.
PRICE OF WEGOVY: £99.49 – £239.99 (£89.54 – £215.99 with subscription)