A price war has broken out among pharmacies ahead of the hike in cost for consumers of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro.
Mounjaro maker Eli Lilly announced earlier this month that it would raise the cost of the weight-loss drug by 170 per cent in a bid to bring the UK in line with higher prices with other countries, after pressure from US president Donald Trump.
On Thursday, the manufacturer said it had offered pharmacies a rebate to “mitigate some of the impact” of the price rise - but even with this factored in, customers face a near-doubling in the amount they pay.
For long-term users of the drug who are on the higher doses, it could mean shelling out more than a £100 more each month.
As a result, many are searching for the best deals across pharmacies, which in return have entered a price war to lure in new customers.
Out of the pharmacies that provided prices on request from The Independent, Asda was the cheapest for a month’s worth of the largest 15mg dose. The supermarket giant is charging £298.97, with the price in place from Friday.
It said stock bought under the “old price” had sold out, and so had to bring in the price rise early to reflect the new amount it was paying the supplier.
Simple Online Pharmacy also revealed how much it will charge from Monday, 1 September, with the cost of a month’s supply of 15mg dose going up from £204.95 to £299.99, an increase of 46 per cent.
Boots pharmacy also shared its prices, with the monthly cost of the highest dosage to go up from £249 to £335. The company said it was “doing our best” to keep its prices as fair as possible, while recognising customers’ frustration.
Eli Lilly’s news of the offer of a rebate to pharmacies had been welcomed by users.
But The Independent understands that pharmacies had been told about the move weeks ago, and had already factored it into planned price increases for Monday.
Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Prices advertised in many pharmacies will already reflect this discount and pharmacies will also have to wait to receive this retrospectively after dispensing.
"Pharmacies are working hard to support their patients and explore if there are options to minimise disruption to their treatment programme."
It is thought that around 1.5 million people are on weight-loss drugs in the UK, with more than half of them on Mounjaro.
Most get them privately from pharmacies as part of weight loss programmes, which is why the price increase has triggered concerns among many users over affordability.
The drugs, like its rival Wegovy, work by making users feel full so they eat less.
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