BRITS scrambling to get hold of fat jab Mounjaro before a huge price hike have triggered a nationwide freeze on orders.
Manufacturer Eli Lilly has told pharmacies to stop taking new requests for the slimming injection from tonight after “Covid-style” panic buying, it is believed.
The drug giant to temporarily halt UK Mounjaro orders[/caption]
From September 1, people paying privately for the so-called “King Kong” of fat jabs will face price hikes of up to 170 per cent.
This means the cost of a month’s supply of the highest dose will soar from £122 to £330. While mid-range doses like the 5mg pen will nearly double from £92 to £180.
Lilly said it originally priced Mounjaro “significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability”.
But it insisted prices must now rise “to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation.”
Pharmacies say they have been swamped by demand, with fears stockpilers could flog the jabs on the black market.
In a letter to chemists – seen by LBC – distributor Phoenix said: “Eli Lilly [has therefore] requested that we implement an order freeze on Mounjaro products for all customers from the end of the day, 27th August.
“This will mean that orders received after your usual cut off time on August 27 will not be processed. Normal ordering processing will recommence on Monday, September 1.”
Phoenix stressed there are no supply issues and sales will resume after the price hike.
But earlier this month, Superdrug stopped selling Mounjaro amid a nationwide shortage of the popular fat jab.
The high street pharmacy said it is experiencing a “short-term stock issue” which means it has been forced to “switch off” its “Mounjaro offering across all strengths”.
“We hope to have new stock arriving in the coming weeks and will switch this back on as soon as we do,” they added, in a post shared on it’s website.
Meanwhile, worried patients have already tried to hoard supplies.
“We have noticed a clear increase in Mounjaro purchases since the announcement, and while most patients are likely stockpiling for personal use, there is the possibility that some are buying in bulk to resell for profit,” Robert Bradshaw, superintendent pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy, told MailOnline.
“This can create a dangerous problem where people, desperate for Mounjaro at a more affordable price point, could be tempted to purchase from stockpilers or unregulated distributors.
“In some cases, this can result in people receiving fake jabs that are contaminated or contain incorrect dosages or different active ingredients.
“All of these scenarios can pose serious health risks.”
Other chemists also say panic buying has been rife.
Dervis Gurol, owner of Healthy-U Pharmacy in Saltdean, East Sussex, said: “For the last two weeks now people have tried to register with multiple pharmacies to obtain the same drug from multiple places because they’re panic buying.
“It’s almost like the toilet paper scenario we had at Covid times.
“As recently as half an hour ago, we have had a patient on the phone that’s been querying if we can supply him with 12 pens of Mounjaro because they obtained a private prescription from a private doctor.”
People have been stockpiling the fat jab before the price rise[/caption]
Doctors say patients unable to afford Mounjaro should speak to their prescriber about alternatives like rival jab Wegovy, which works in a similar way.
But they warned it’s not a straight “mg-for-mg” swap because the two drugs have different strengths.
Trials show Mounjaro can help people shed up to 22.5 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose, compared to 17.5 per cent with Wegovy.
More than half a million NHS patients thought to be using currently using fat jabs on the NHS – plus many more privately.
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically, a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
They work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Are you eligible for weight loss jabs on the NHS?
By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
THEY are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times.
And now, so-called ‘fat jabs’ are available to many more Brits on the NHS.
In what marks the dawn of a new era, GPs have begun prescribing the weight loss jab Mounjaro in the first anti-obesity rollout of its kind.
More than three million people are thought to be eligible for tirzepatide – the active drug in Mounjaro – the strongest jab on the market.
Health chiefs hope it will turn the tide on England’s obesity crisis which has seen rates double since the 1990s.
Injections including Ozempic and Wegovy have previously only been available for type 2 diabetes or through specialist slimming clinics.
Family doctors will now be encouraged to prescribe them in a bid to get more people on the meds.
Experts hope widespread use will slash work sick days and boost the economy, while reducing rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia.
But demand for the drugs is already huge and NHS clinics cannot dish them out fast enough.
Who is eligible in the new rollout?
The new rollout allows GPs to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, starting with those patients whose weight places them at greatest health risk.
Top of the list will be those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher (or 37.5 if from a minority ethnic background) and four weight-related health conditions.
A BMI of 40 is roughly equal to weighing 16st (102kg) for an average height 5’3” woman, or 19st 6lbs (123kg) for an average 5’9” man.
Weight-related conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease.
Patients will likely be expected to have tried diet and exercise first before being offered a jab.
Many are likely to miss out, as some 13.5million adults in England are obese but only 3.4million are estimated to be eligible in the rollout.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Currently only patients who meet certain criteria – those who could benefit most – are eligible to be prescribed weight loss drugs on the NHS, and GPs will also need to follow local guidelines when prescribing.
“If your practice advises you that they won’t be able to provide weight loss medication, these will likely be the reasons why.
“We appreciate the idea of weight loss medication is an attractive prospect to many patients – and they do have a lot of potential benefits for patients and may be a valuable tool as we try to tackle obesity at a national level – but it’s important these medications aren’t seen as a silver bullet.
“Weight loss drugs do not come without risk, they can cause side effects which range in seriousness, and they won’t be suitable for everyone.
“It’s important we don’t lose sight of the role lifestyle factors play in achieving a healthy weight.
“The roll out of weight loss medications as a treatment for obesity must not come at the expense of other weight loss services.”
If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services.
Known as tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services, they may prescribe the jabs after other weight loss attempts.
Many people are expected to find it easier to go private, with the injections widely available from high street pharmacies like Boots, Superdrug, and even Asda.
There are also numerous online pharmacies offering the drugs.
Buying the drugs online might seem like the faster fix – but buyer beware.
Slimming success stories are everywhere but so, too, are tales of horror.
Many patients have been duped by dodgy sellers, suffered severe side effects or even died after taking jabs they bought online.
Bargain prices, easy tick-box applications, or prescriptions with no follow-up, should all be red flags to online shoppers.