Thousands of patients desperate to access the “King Kong” of weight loss jabs are facing a postcode lottery, research reveals. The NHS began rolling out Mounjaro — also known as tirzepatide — at the end of June, with 240,000 people expected to access it over the next three years. But Freedom of Information requests sent by Sky News have revealed that just eight out of 42 NHS integrated care boards in England were providing the treatment.
Many of the remaining trusts could not say when the drug would become available. Dr Jonathan Hazlehurst, an obesity specialist at University Hospitals Birmingham, said the system was “giving people open promises and setting them up for disappointment and failure”.
He added: “It shows that there’s a lack of political will to fund this adequately. NHS England says that obesity costs the NHS £11.4bn per annum as a pure NHS cost.
“Yet we can’t even afford to properly fund the rollout of a life-changing drug in year one. That just doesn’t make any sense.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has estimated that 3.4 million people are eligible for treatment with Mounjaro.
A phased rollout has therefore been planned to ensure the drug first reaches those who need it most.
Dr Hazelhurst said NHS England had only provided funding for just over 22,000 patients to access Mounjaro in the first year, against estimates that 97,500 should get it.
He added: “There’s a huge amount of stigma that drives things to do with obesity care all across the system. The ‘eat less, move more’ nonsense doesn’t help.”
Mounjaro works by mimicking the action of two hormones in the body, helping to regulate appetite and blood sugar levels.
It has been dubbed the “King Kong” such medications, with a recent study finding it was 50% more effective at helping patients lose weight than predecessor Wegovy.
A study involving 751 patients with obesity found those on Mounjaro typically lost a fifth of their body weight after 72 weeks.
Last October, more than 200 NHS healthcare professionals urged the Government to carry out a comprehensive review of obesity treatment services across England.
Warning of “unprecedented public demand” for the new drugs, they called for action to end a postcode lottery.
Alfred Slade, of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “It is vital that people living in every part of the country have access to effective obesity treatment services for people who they are medically appropriate for.
“It is also vital that expanded access to treatment services is delivered alongside interventions to prevent as many people as possible getting to the stage of needing such treatments in the first place.”
A spokesperson for NHS England said it had “fully supported the rollout” of Mounjaro.
They added: “We issued guidance and provided funding in March to all Integrated Care Boards to support treatment costs, enable scaling of services and provide wrap-around care, including digital support services.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We expect NHS Integrated Care Boards to be making these drugs, which can help tackle the obesity crisis in the UK, available as part of the phased rollout so those with the highest needs are able to access them.
“As we shift our focus from treatment to prevention with our 10 Year Health Plan we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.”