Thousands of obese patients in England are missing out on the weight loss drug Mounjaro due to a 'postcode lottery' in NHS provision, a report has found. The drug, known as the 'King Kong' of weight loss medicines, was expected to be available through GP surgeries from 23 June under an agreement between NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
However, data obtained by Sky News via a Freedom of Information request revealed that only eight out of 42 NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England were able to provide the treatment. Many other ICBs could not confirm when it would become available.
Dr Jonathan Hazlehurst, an endocrinologist at University Hospitals Birmingham, criticised the rollout, stating patients were 'set up for failure' and treated unfairly. 'Giving people open promises and setting them up for disappointment and failure is clearly grossly unfair,' he told the broadcaster.
NICE recommended in December that the NHS offer Mounjaro to patients with a BMI over 40 and at least four weight-related conditions, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes. It estimated 97,500 patients should be treated in the first year, but Dr Hazlehurst claims NHS England has only funded just over 22,000.
An NHS England spokesperson defended the rollout, saying they had 'fully supported' it by issuing guidance and providing funding in March to all ICBs for treatment costs and wrap-around care. Meanwhile, NICE has warned that patients may regain weight after stopping the drug and stressed the need for structured follow-up support.
With an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK using weight-loss injections privately, NICE's new quality standard emphasises that NHS patients should be monitored for at least a year after treatment ends, with extra support if needed. Professor Jonathan Benger, deputy chief executive at NICE, said: 'Successful weight management doesn’t end when medication stops... people need structured support to maintain the positive changes they’ve made.'
