The manufacturer of weight-loss drug Mounjaro has suspended sales of the jab to UK wholesalers after users started stockpiling it in anticipation of a price rise from Monday.
A spike in demand has caused shortages at major pharmacies, including high-street firms Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy and Superdrug.
Eli Lilly, the US manufacturer of Mounjaro, announced it would increase the price of the medication in the UK by 170 per cent from September.
The price hike, which will push up a month’s supply of the highest dose from £122 to £330, came after US president Donald Trump urged America’s drug manufacturers to increase their prices abroad and reduce them at home.
Eli Lilly has told its two British wholesalers to stop taking orders until Monday amid “unprecedented demand”.
On social media, many users said they had been stockpiling the drug to avoid the initial price hike, despite warnings by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Eli Lilly not to bulk-order.
On Wednesday, Superdrug’s website said it was out of stock of Mounjaro “due to a national shortage”. The company toldThe Independent: “We are currently working hard to fulfil all the orders placed for Mounjaro, and we hope to be able to start accepting new customer orders next week.
“Due to extremely high demand nationwide, we are experiencing delays with stock of Mounjaro. To ensure continuity of care, we are prioritising the medication orders of existing Superdrug patients who are currently using our weight-loss services.”
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.
Users typically start on a weekly dosage of 2.5mg as part of a weight-loss plan, before increasing to higher dosages.
Well Pharmacy, which is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the UK, said its supply of Mounjaro “has been intermittent” from wholesalers due to the increase in demand.
The company’s clinical product and innovation manager, Mital Thakrar, told The Independent: “We are working hard with our wholesalers and manufacturers to maintain stock supply across Well stores, and we currently remain in stock of Mounjaro.”
The situation has also affected online pharmacies. Pharmacy 2U said it had experienced a “significant short-term surge” following the announcement of the rise in price, but that the spike had calmed and it was prioritising existing patients.
Simple Online Pharmacy said it had paused selling Mounjaro to new patients, while also restricting sales to a four-week supply per patient to stop bulk buying. It said it had adequate supply across all dosages to meet repeat prescriptions.
The pharmacy said more people had been ordering rival weight-loss drug Wegovy, which is a cheaper alternative. Patients switching to Wegovy, which costs from £85 a month, are advised to take a week’s break between the two products.
Last week, sales of Wegovy at one weight-loss supplier soared 2,600 per cent following the Mounjaro price hike.
Abdal Alvi, chief clinical officer at Simple Online Healthcare, said demand for all GLP-1 medications, which include Wegovy and Mounjaro, had risen by 400 per cent since the price rise news.
The increase in demand has led to concerns in the pharmacy industry, including at the NPA, which said it was aware of wholesalers “capping or preventing orders for higher doses” ahead of the price increase.
Chair Olivier Picard added that bulk buying could have a significant impact on supply, while also posing a potential risk to patient safety through a possible lack of regular checks by the seller as part of the weight-loss management.
He urged patients to avoid unlicensed sellers, who could sell fake medication that does not meet UK safety standards.
Mr Picard, who runs his own pharmacy, said: “The situation is dire at the moment. I have had patients from online pharmacies and other brick and mortar pharmacies coming in, phoning around, asking ‘Have you got it? I need a supply and my supplier has no stock.’
“I think the wholesalers have been completely overwhelmed with demand of people trying to buy Mounjaro.”
Eli Lilly said it had allocations in place for providers that order stock from it, which it said helped manage supply and ensure patient access.
A spokesperson told The Independent: “There are legal protections in place, enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to prevent inappropriate stockpiling of medicines by providers.
“We encourage patients to only order based on their current treatment plan, to reduce the risk of localised disruption.”
The company’s decision to raise the price reflected efforts to more closely align prices with its other European markets, along with political pressure from the US to keep prices low for Americans.
