The manufacturer of weight-loss drug Mounjaro has temporarily halted sales of the jab to the UK ahead of a dramatic price hike.
The drug giant is set to increase the UK list price of the drug by up to 170% in September, meaning a month’s supply of the highest dose of the medicine will increase from £122 to £330.
The move comes amid a White House push for pharma firms to raise medicine prices in Europe to allow for price cuts in the United States.
US manufacturer Eli Lilly said in order to manage its supply and ensure that patients maintain access, it has allocations in place for pharmacies and providers.
The drugmaker said orders to UK distributors will resume orders on 1 September, and warned against “inappropriate stockpiling of medicines”.
“We encourage patients to only order based on their current treatment plan, to reduce the risk of localised disruption,” a spokesperson said.
However reports suggest some patients are already struggling to get hold of the drug.
According to the Independent, major high-street pharmacies including Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy and Superdrug were out of stock of some products or facing delays in orders.
The price hike has also led to warnings that patients could be pushed to use to black market.
Vivienne Joy, who runs an online community of more than 250 Mounjaro users, recently told The i Paper: “The black market is where it’s going to be a big problem, there’s going to be a lot of people selling stuff that is not compliant and not medical-grade. We’ve seen it already, there’s all sorts of people all over the internet selling all sorts of rubbish.”
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, the chief executive of Independent Pharmacies Association, said the move was “unacceptable” and “has led to worry and chaos”.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said there had been “an increase in demand” for Mounjaro ahead of the planned September price hike.
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the NPA said the price rises would cause serious concern among patients.
“Short notice changes to pricing for medicines such as this also have a serious effect on access to an important public health service and pharmacy business themselves,” he said in a recent statement.
A surge in sales of rival weight loss jab Wegovy has also been reported ahead of the price hike.
Last week weight loss programme CheqUp said it had seen a 27-fold surge, or 2,660%, in Wegovy sales.
Eli Lilly’s decision reflect efforts to more closely align prices with its other European markets, and amid political pressure from US President Donald Trump to keep pharmaceutical prices low for Americans.
The NHS is not set to pay the higher price in order to maintain access for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes accessing it through the health service.
Mounjaro is a weekly prescription weight loss injection that works by lowering the appetite and making people feel fuller between meals.
More than a million people in the UK are estimated to be currently using weight loss medication.
Hence then, the article about shipments of weight loss jab mounjaro paused ahead of price hike was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Shipments of weight-loss jab Mounjaro paused ahead of price hike )
Also on site :
- Hollywood mourns loss of beloved makeup artist Jasen Kaplan
- Rose Parade 2026 awards announced: Top honor goes to Cal Poly Universities
- Rose Parade Viewers 'Floored' by 'Disaster' Finale Performance: 'Yikes'