Thousands miss out on weight-loss jab on NHS

Three million people ‘may be eligible’ for Mounjaro, according to NHS England, as it is set for a phased introduction over the next 12 years, amid fears GP surgeries could be overwhelmed. But Integrated Care Boards say they have not been allocated enough funds to cover all those who could benefit from the drug

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THOUSANDS of people who could benefit from the weight loss jab Mounjaro on the NHS are missing out due to funding issues, figures suggest.

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, according to data gathered by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

NHS England has put in place a phased introduction 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. The vast majority of patients on Mounjaro currently pay for it privately.

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.

Four ICBs told the BMJ the NHS funding they had received covered just 25% or less of their eligible patients, with Coventry and Warwickshire faring the worst.

‘That ICB told the BMJ it had received funding to cover just 376 patients, despite identifying 1,795 eligible patients in the first year of introduction.

That began on June 23. Eligible patients in the first year include those with a body mass index over 40 and other complicating illnesses such as high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.