Weight Management Medication
Weight management medication – update for patients
Following approval by NICE, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will be available on the NHS for eligible patients who meet the strict, nationally-set, criteria.
The current criteria is that patients are those with a BMI of 40 or higher, and with four or more of the qualifying comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes) will be eligible for assessment to identify their suitability for Mounjaro. Anyone not meeting these criteria will not be eligible for assessment in the first year of the drug being available.
Please do not contact your GP; if you are eligible to be assessed you will be contacted over the coming months and invited to attend an appointment for assessment. Those with the greatest clinical need will be contacted first, so this may mean you have to wait a little longer for an appointment, however it is our intention that anyone who meets the above criteria will have been invited for an assessment over the next 12 months.
The service in Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent will be provided by General Practice ‘hubs’, this means you may be asked to attend a location that is not your normal GP practice but will still be accessible. GP practices have been asked to work together to ensure that you have better access to the specialist skills needed to deliver a holistic lifestyle assessment. The hubs will be managed by GPs from your local ‘primary care network (PCN)’ and your registered GP will be updated with all your progress and assessments.
We recognise that a number of patients who have been taking the medication privately will be affected by the announcement of 14th August, outlining price increases to the Mounjaro injections. The NHS position still remains the same; we will only be offering the injection to those who meet the criteria set out above. Your GP will be able to support you with a conversation about managing your weight but will not be able to prescribe Mounjaro.
If you are looking for support to help you manage your weight you can find useful information and resources on the ICS website at https://staffsstokeics.org.uk/local-weight-management-services/ and on the dedicated page for weight management medication at Weight Management Medication – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS .
Patients with a complaint about this matter, should contact the Patient Advisory Liaison Services at patientservices@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk .