On 5 December 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published draft guidance in relation to Tirzepatide (Mounjaro™) which is a new drug for obesity management.
This news has created a lot of interest and so we wanted to clarify how the NHS intends to roll out the injection to the estimated 3.4 million eligible patients.
NHS England has set strict rules on who is eligible to receive this drug – GPs cannot change these. A staged approach to introducing this treatment will help manage demand on existing healthcare services. This is necessary to ensure Tirzepatide can be prescribed safely and the appropriate support for patients is available.
Therefore, the injection will be offered to those with the highest medical need. Over the next three years, about 220,000 people are expected to benefit from it.
Right now, it is only for people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40+ and 4 or more health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea that are linked to being overweight.
If you don’t meet all the criteria, you won’t be eligible in the first year.
From our records only four of our patients meet the first-year eligibility criteria and we will be contacting those patients directly.
If you feel you meet the criteria but have not been contacted by the surgery, please submit an online form or ask reception to print you a copy.