'King Kong' weight loss jab set to be free on the NHS: spending watchdog gives green light to powerful new drug Mounjaro, a year after refusing to approve it Previously only for type 2 diabetes it will now be given to obese patients READ MORE: How Mounjaro truly compares against rivals Ozempic and Saxenda By Emily Stearn, Health Reporter For Mailonline Published: 12:14 BST, 4 June 2024 | Updated: 12:20 BST, 4 June 2024 e-mail 2 View comments The 'King Kong' of slimming jabs will be made available on the NHS, health chiefs today announced. Under current guidelines, only people with type 2 diabetes who do not have the condition under control, are eligible to get Mounjaro via the health service. But draft guidance by the UK's drugs watchdog has now recommended its usage to be expanded for weight loss in those who are severely obese.
It comes just a year after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said it needed 'more evidence' before it would give the drug the green light for NHS use. The move shocked specialists in diabetes and obesity treatment at the time, who agreed the treatment, given in weekly self-injections, is highly effective. Clinics are charging around £40 for a week's supply of Mounjaro, or tirzepatide.
Patients taking it can expect to lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight, data suggests. Anyone with a BMI above 30 — the technical classification for obesity — can get a private prescription Your browser does not support iframes. Mou.
