Mounjaro Weight-Loss Injections: What You Need to Know
The NHS has announced that a new weight-loss injection called Mounjaro (tirzepatide) will soon be available to help people with obesity. This news has created a lot of interest, and we’ve been getting many questions about it.
Let’s take a closer look at what this means for you and how it could affect GP services.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a new injection designed to help with weight loss. It works by making you feel full, so you eat less. In trials, people using Mounjaro lost up to 20% of their body weight. The NHS plans to make this injection available from March 2025 for people who:
- Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 35.
- Have at least one obesity-related health problem, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease.
However, at first, Mounjaro will only be available to patients in specialist weight-management services ONLY. The wider rollout, which may include GP practices, is expected to start later in the year, this will only be to the prioritised cohorts set by NHS England.
When Will It Be Available?
The NHS has a long-term plan to make Mounjaro widely available. However, this will take time – possibly up to 12 years – to ensure services can manage the demand.
From March 2025, the injection will be offered to those with the highest medical need, through the weight-management services ONLY. Over the next three years, about 220,000 people are expected to benefit from it.
For now, GP practices like ours are waiting for further guidance on how and when this injection will become available for more patients.
What We Offer Right Now
At The Hicks Group Practice, we know how important weight management is for your health. While Mounjaro is not yet available through our surgery, we can support you with:
NHS Health Checks: These include weight management advice and checks for other health conditions.
Diet and Exercise Advice: Our health and wellbeing coach can guide you on making lifestyle changes to help manage your weight.
Support Services: We can connect you with other NHS programs that focus on healthy weight management
If you have questions about weight-loss injections or need help managing your weight, contact the surgery and we will be happy to book you an appointment.
Important Note
At the time of writing, Mounjaro is only available through specific NHS specialist services. Please contact the health and well being coach to learn about other weight management options we can offer.
Over the last few months we have seen a sharp increase in the number of patients accessing weight-loss jabs through private providers. This has had a significant impact on the workload for GP surgeries, as we have to process the paperwork, load the medication onto your records so that is highlights any medication interactions. We have also had a number of difficult conversations about why GPs can’t take over the prescribing of this weight loss drug. We are not being difficult, we have to follow the local policy, which restricts the prescribing of this medication by GPs. The drug also requires monitoring which needs to be completed by the prescribing clinician, so that they provide a safe, and suitable treatment to you the patient.
Read More
For more information about Mounjaro and its rollout, you can read the full BBC article here.