The vast majority of patients on Mounjaro currently pay for it privately
Dr Amir Khan(Image: ITV)
Dr Amir Khan has warned about people using the “black market” to gain access to weight-loss injects including Mounjaro. Thousands of people who could benefit from the weight loss jab on the NHS are missing out due to funding issues, figures suggest.
NHS England has put in place a phased rollout of the drug over a period of up to 12 years, but the data suggests even patients who are eligible now cannot get the drug. According to data gathered by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), fewer than half (18 out of 42) of commissioning bodies across England have started prescribing the drug on the NHS in line with health service guidance.
The vast majority of patients on Mounjaro currently pay for it privately. On ITV’s Lorraine yesterday, Dr Amir Khan said: “Now remember the NHS said it was going to roll it out [Mounjaro] to eligible people across the UK there’s 3.4 million eligible people.
“They were going to give out this jab to whoever fit this criteria over 12 years. Now, over the first three years they said they were going to give it to 220,000 people but actually the funding is just not there. About 10% of that number have received it so far.”
He continued to say there are many people who might be able to get the injection, but just can’t. He said: “And that is leading people to go to the black market for these drugs.”
Dr Amir Khan told presenter Christine Lampard that the price of Mounjaro has “gone up” this week alone. He said “you mustn’t and I know people are desperate when it comes to weight loss and getting healthier. But you mustn’t get it on the black market.
“I have some patients who have got it on the black market, just syringes, they’re not even labelled and they have other thing in.” He recalled his sister, who works in A&E see to people who were sold weight loss medication which turned out to be insulin, he said “just not worth it.”
According to the BMJ, few integrated care boards (ICBs) have been allocated enough NHS funding for patients who could be treated on the health service. It said only nine had the funding needed to cover at least 70% of their eligible patients.
In June, it was announced some 220,000 people with the “greatest need” are expected to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide and made by Lilly, through the NHS over the next three years.
Tirzepatide, or Mounjaro, is an antidiabetic drug which lowers blood sugar levels and slows down how quickly food is digested. It makes you feel fuller for longer and therefore less hungry.
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If the jab is recommended by a healthcare professional, those using it will need to eat a balanced, reduced-calorie diet and to exercise regularly while taking it, according to the NHS website.
In the first year of the programme, the drug will be offered to people with a body mass index (BMI) score of more than 40 who have at least four other health problems linked to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.
It was previously only accessible to patients through a special weight loss service, to severely obese people who also suffer from a range of other health problems.
Estimates suggest around 1.5 million people in the UK are already taking weight loss drugs, which may have been prescribed through specialist weight loss services or via private prescription.
Mounjaro is not recommended for those who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, breastfeeding or have certain health conditions, according to the NHS.
Potential side effects of tirzepatide include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.