One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies has halted sales of its popular weight-loss injection in the UK, as demand surges ahead of an imminent price increase.
Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, has temporarily suspended deliveries of the drug to UK pharmacies in response to “unprecedented demand”.
The move means pharmacies will no longer be able to purchase the injections at the current lower price.
The pause came into effect on Wednesday night and will remain in place until September 1. After that, Eli Lilly is expected to raise the price it charges UK pharmacies for Mounjaro.
The price hike follows pressure from President Trump, who has called on pharmaceutical companies to stop allowing other countries to “freeload” on lower drug prices.
A 5mg dose of Mounjaro is expected to double from £92 to £180 come September, while the maximum dose of 15mg will increase from £122 to £330.
Fears have now been raised that thousands of patients will no longer be able to afford the medication, prompting a surge in demand before the price rise.
On Wednesday, Superdrug’s website said it was out of stock of Mounjaro “due to a national shortage”.
Lloyds Pharmacy said on its website that it was out of stock for new prescribers of the higher dosage pens of 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg, while Boots Online Doctor showed it did not have 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg or 15mg pens available.
Online pharmacies such as Pharmacy 2U and Simple Online Pharmacy have also been affected.
While not currently experiencing Mounjaro shortages, Simple Online Pharmacy has said it has paused taking on new patients since the Eli Lilly announcement, to ensure continuity of supply to its existing patients.
“We have also restricted supplies to one Mounjaro pen per existing patient and we don't allow patients to bulk buy or skip doses, for their safety,” a spokesperson said.
“We have adequate Mounjaro supply across all dosages allocated to meet all scheduled repeat prescriptions and planned dose escalations for our existing Mounjaro customers.”
It is estimated around 1.5million people are currently on weight loss drugs in the UK, with nine in 10 people paying for them privately.
Mounjaro is one of the major brands associated with injectable weight loss medication, with around 500,000 people estimated to be taking either Mounjaro or its competitor Wegovy.
Official statistics reveal that 64 per cent of adults in England were considered overweight or obese between 2022 and 2023.
Since June 23, Mounjaro has even been available on the NHS, although with strict regulations that apply, and from online pharmacies where you can pay to have it shipped to you without ever seeing a doctor in person.
Mounjaro is the brand name for a drug called tirzepatide, which is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that helps to lower people’s blood sugar levels.
It works by helping the body create insulin while also slowing down the amount of glucose produced in the liver and the rate of food digestion.
As well as improving weight loss, Mounjaro also benefits those with Type 2 diabetes.
