GHA looks for guidance on new weight-loss jab as 80 patients take up Wegovy
Photo by Alamy/PA.
There are around 80 patients who are currently prescribed weight-loss jab Wegovy solely for obesity treatment and the GHA is looking to review guidance for the new highly-effective drug Mounjaro with a view to offering this to patients.
Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, has been dubbed in the UK as the ‘King Kong’ of weight-loss jabs with research so far pointing to the drug being more effective than its predecessors.
A trial by Mounjaro manufacturer Eli Lilly known as Surmount-5 found patients on tirzepatide recorded a weight loss of 20.2% compared to 13.7% in patients on semaglutide (Wegovy).
The NHS will be rolling out the drug, but demand in the UK is so high it is expected it could take 12 years for everyone eligible to receive it.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said it was a difficult decision to stagger the roll-out as it would protect other vital NHS services.
In Gibraltar, the GHA has kept a close eye on the findings.
A spokesman told the Chronicle that NICE is currently appraising the use of Mounjaro and, once this guidance is published, the GHA can then discuss the outcome with the relevant stakeholders and develop a plan.
“If the GHA approves Mounjaro for weight management, the inclusion criteria would be the same as that proposed by NICE,” the spokesman said.
“This includes an initial BMI of at least 35kg/m2 and at least one weight-related co-morbidity.”
A BMI of 35kg/m2 is classed as obese.
The GHA added that, if approved, the roll-out of Mounjaro would likely be similar to that of Wegovy.
Wegovy was initially created to manage diabetes, but research has found this medication aids weight-loss.
Under current GHA policy, patients need to be engaged with the bariatric weight loss programme to be eligible for Wegovy.
“They also need to engage with the dietician for at least six months before being prescribed the medication and they need to have a BMI of 30kg/m2 or more, or have a BMI of 27kg/m2 in the presence of at least one weight related co-morbidity,” the GHA said.
The cost of Wegovy to the GHA depends on the strength that is prescribed with the 2.4mg injection being the most expensive costing £175.80 for one month’s treatment and the 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg being the cheapest costing the GHA £73.25 per month.
The drug Mounjaro is estimated to be eligible for 3.4 million people in the UK.
The initial roll-out over a three-year period will benefit around 220,000 people.
“The world will look very different in three years which is why we’ve taken the unprecedented decision to review the way this medicine is delivered to patients then,” Professor Jonathan Benger, chief medical officer at NICE, said.
“Tirzepatide and other drugs like it, such as semaglutide, will help people living with obesity to lose weight, and as a result will reduce their risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke.”
“But tirzepatide is not for everybody, and only those with the highest clinical need will be treated initially.”
“This means many people will have to wait. We have had to make this difficult decision in order to protect other vital NHS services and also to test ways of delivering this new generation of weight loss medications.”