200,000 people can now get weight loss jab from their GP

GPs will be allowed to prescribe weight loss jabs for the first time from Monday.

The mass rollout will see around 220,000 people with the ‘greatest need’ receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, through the NHS over the next three years.

The antidiabetic drug, made by Lilly, slows down how quickly food is digested and also lowers blood sugar.

Up until now, people could only access the drug through a special weight loss service, but GPs in England will begin this week to prescribe it to severely obese people suffering from other health problems.

However, family doctors have raised concerns that the rollout could overburden already stretched GP services.

What is Mounjaro?

Known as tirzepatide and marketed under the brand name Mounjaro, the drug injection helps people manage blood sugar.

It works in a similar way to semaglutide – sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus – which are in the same family of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist medications.

Administered by weekly injections, tirzepatide changes hormone levels in the body to slow down how fast food is digested.

This makes you feel more full, for longer, on less food. Alongside healthy eating and exercise, this can help people lose weight.

Who is eligible for Mounjaro?

The weight loss drug will be offered to people with a body mass index (BMI) score of over 40 who also have at least four other health problems linked to obesity.

These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obstructive sleep apnoea.

This will last for the first year of the programme.

Estimates suggest around 1.5 million people in the UK are already on weight loss drugs, while around 29% of the adult population in the UK is obese.

What concerns do doctors have?

GPs have called for additional resources and training to manage the extra workload which will follow the Mounjaro rollout.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘While we recognise the potential benefits of weight loss drugs, we know many GPs are concerned about the implications of the rollout of weight loss drugs into general practice, both in terms of workload and training to appropriately initiate and manage these treatments.

‘The college shares these concerns, which is why we were pleased NHS England suggested a phased roll-out of Mounjaro as a treatment for weight loss.

She added: ‘Whilst weight loss medications have a lot of potential benefits for patients who are struggling to lose weight and who meet all the clinical criteria for a prescription, they mustn’t be seen as a ‘silver bullet’ to aid weight loss.

‘We also need to see a focus on prevention, stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don’t require a medical intervention later.’

Pharmacists will be the ones issuing the weight loss drug once GPs start prescribing it on Monday.

Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, agreed that Mounjaro should only be one piece of the puzzle in tackling obesity.

He said: ‘The demand for weight loss jabs continues to rise sharply, and more GPs have been directing patients back to pharmacies after initial inquiries, to access these treatments privately.

‘As the NHS is now moving to implement National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidance, and tirzepatide becomes prescribable to more patients, we expect to see prescription volumes increase rapidly.

‘However, NHS provision won’t meet demand straight away, so we fully expect that many people will continue seeking it privately from a pharmacy.

‘The biggest concern we have is that prescribing these medications alone misses the point.

‘They should be part of a comprehensive weight management strategy – combining lifestyle coaching, exercise, and nutritional guidance. In reality, many GPs lack the bandwidth to deliver the level of support needed to ensure proper understanding and follow-up.

‘As a result, we could end up in a situation where patients are prescribed the medication, lose weight, and then experience rebound weight gain once the course ends – simply because the foundational lifestyle changes weren’t addressed.’

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