Drugmaker Eli Lilly said it will raise the price of its blockbuster weight loss drug by up to 170 per cent for customers in the United Kingdom.
The US pharmaceutical giant confirmed to Euronews Health that effective September 1, the highest dose of Mounjaro will cost £330 for a month’s supply, up from £122 currently.
The new price is the list price, or what private providers will pay for the drug. Clinics are expected to raise their prices for patients as a result.
The price hike is not expected to affect access for patients who receive Mounjaro through the National Health Service (NHS), a spokesperson for NHS England said.
“The approved list price increase will not affect NHS commissioning of [Mounjaro] in England for eligible people living with obesity, based on clinical priority, or as a treatment for type 2 diabetes,” the spokesperson told Euronews Health.
The NHS England spokesperson said patients who get the drug through private doctors should contact their providers. A Lilly spokesperson said the company will work with private doctors to "maintain patient access”.
Mounjaro is used to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes, and weight-related health problems in both the UK and the European Union. Rival weight loss jabs Ozempic and Wegovy, made by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, are also available.
A Lilly spokesperson said the increase aims to bring Mounjaro’s UK price closer to what is paid in other European countries.
“At launch, Lilly agreed to a UK list price that is significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability,” the spokesperson said.
“With changes in the environment and new clinical evidence supporting the value of Mounjaro, we are now aligning the list price more consistently to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation”.
The move comes as US President Donald Trump puts pressure on pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs for Americans to a level that matches the lowest price offered in other wealthy countries.
In May, Trump complained that a “friend” of his paid significantly less for “the fat shot” in the UK than in the United States.
He later accused European countries of “freeloading,” saying Americans pay higher prices to cover the cost of new drug development while other wealthy countries benefit.
Since then, some drug companies have signaled they will attempt to align prices paid in the US and other countries.
The Lilly spokesperson said the Mounjaro price increase will “address pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries, including in Europe”.
