Mounjaro manufacturer Lilly has demanded a temporary UK-wide freeze on jab orders amid ‘unprecedented demand’ for the drug.
The US pharmaceutical giant announced the cost would soar from September 1, with the wholesale price of a month’s supply of the highest dose rising from £122 to £330.
Even mid-range doses, such as the 5mg pen, will jump from about £92 to £180.
Lilly claimed it had initially launched Mounjaro in the UK at a price ‘significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability’ but that this must now change ‘to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation’.
Pharmacies, however, have already warned that patients have been ‘Covid-style’ panic buying the drug since the announcement.
Experts also fear the looming Mounjaro price-hike could drive more people towards the black market.
It is now understood that Lilly have halted pharmacies in the UK from ordering Mounjaro until after September 1, to ensure they are not stockpiling at the current lower price.
In a letter—seen by LBC—from UK medicines distributor Phoenix, it told pharmacies it had seen a significant surge in demand in recent days.
Lilly claimed it had initially launched Mounjaro in the UK at a price ‘significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability’ but that this must now change. Pictured, entrance to the Eli Lilly factory in Kinsale, Co Cork, where weight loss drug Mounjaro is made
In a letter—seen by LBC —from UK medicines distributor Phoenix, it told pharmacies it had seen a significant surge in demand in recent days
| Mounjaro®▼ (tirzepatide) KwikPen® Dose | Current UK List Price | New UK List Price (From September) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5mg | £92 | £133 |
| 5mg | £92 | £180 |
| 7.5mg | £107 | £255 |
| 10mg | £107 | £255 |
| 12.5mg | £122 | £330 |
| 15mg | £122 | £330 |
‘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,’ it said.
‘This will mean that orders received after your usual cut off time on August 27 will not be processed.
‘Normal ordering processing for these products will recommence on Monday September 1.’
There are, however, no supply issues with Mounjaro that will prevent the sale of the drug from the beginning of next month, Phoenix claimed.
It comes as patients have taken to trying to stockpile the drug themselves, after Lilly revealed it would be raising the cost of Mounjaro.
Robert Bradshaw, superintendent pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy told the Daily Mail: ‘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.
‘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.’
Dervis Gurol, owner of Healthy-U Pharmacy in Saltdean, East Sussex, also told LBC: ‘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.’
Since the announcement, experts have advised those on Mounjaro who cannot afford to continue taking the drug to consider switching to an alternative weight-loss injections or medications.
Wegovy, produced by Novo Nordisk, is a safe alternative, given it works in a similar way to Mounjaro.
Those on the drug should first speak to their prescriber or GP, who can provide tailored advice based on medical history and prior doses.
This is because it is impossible to make a direct ‘mg-for-mg’ switch between Mounjaro and Wegovy because they are different drugs with different strengths.
In clinical trials, Mounjaro has been shown to deliver the greatest weight loss of any licensed drug, with patients losing on average up to 22.5 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose.
By comparison, Wegovy patients lose up to 17.5 per cent over the same period on the full 2.4mg dose.
At least half a million NHS patients and some 15million patients in the US are now thought to be using weight-loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in just a few months.
And the numbers using them privately are even higher.
Under official guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed weight-loss jabs.
