MPs call for faster rollout of Mounjaro weight-loss injections on the NHS in England

The Commons Health and Social Care Committee has called on the government to speed up access to the weight-loss injection Mounjaro on the NHS in England. In a report published on Friday, the cross-party group of MPs said the current rollout was unambitious and would reach too few people.

Under the existing plan, around 220,000 people are due to receive the drug on NHS prescription over its first three years. The committee said that amounts to only about 6% of those who meet the eligibility criteria.

How NHS access works now

Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, belongs to a group of medicines known as GLP-1 drugs, which reduce appetite. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended it for managing obesity in 2024. NHS England estimated that about 2.8 million people would qualify, and that treating all of them in the first year would cost £15.2 billion over five years. NICE agreed to a phased rollout, which is currently planned over 12 years, starting with patients with the most severe and complex needs. The timetable is under review.

In practice, that means most people who are eligible cannot yet get the drug through their GP. Figures cited in the report show more than 2.37 million packs of GLP-1 medicines are prescribed each month in the UK, the large majority of them privately.

What the committee recommends

The MPs said access was increasingly determined by ability to pay rather than by clinical need, creating a two-tier system. Their recommendations include:

• an urgent reassessment of the pace of the rollout, with more use of digital providers to reduce the load on GP practices
• a summit on GLP-1 access involving providers and health professionals
• treating obesity as a long-term condition with a national care pathway, modelled on the approach to diabetes
• local targets for the share of the population able to get these medicines
• better access to diet and lifestyle programmes and to weight-loss surgery, which the committee said is little used in England compared with neighbouring countries

The committee also raised concern about the illegal trade in weight-loss drugs sold online. It called for a public awareness campaign on the risks, a review of how online advertising is regulated, and a review of whether the medicines regulator, the MHRA, has enough capacity.

The NHS response

NHS England said it was testing new ways to speed up access, including different routes for starting treatment, while prioritising patients with the greatest need. It also pointed to other weight management support it provides.

The government is expected to respond formally to the report, as it does to all select committee reports, usually within two months. Anyone considering these medicines should speak to a GP or pharmacist and buy only from a registered pharmacy, since unlicensed products sold online may not contain what they claim.