Price of weight loss drug Mounjaro to rise - how much more users will pay
Eli Lilly is sharply increasing the UK price of its weight-loss and diabetes drug Mounjaro, with the cost of some doses set to rise by as much as 170 percent from September. The pharmaceutical company said the move is intended to 'address pricing inconsistencies compared with other developed countries, including in Europe' and ensure a fairer global contribution to funding medical innovation.
The most dramatic increase will see the month's supply of the highest doses of the drug jump from £122 to £330. Lower doses will rise by between 45 and 138 percent. However, Lilly stressed that the new list prices will not apply to the NHS, with the company continuing to supply the health service at the existing rate to avoid disrupting patient access.
Private healthcare providers, who also prescribe the drug, will be subject to the increase but can negotiate confidential discounts with the company.
The move comes against the backdrop of political pressure from the United States, where former president Donald Trump has criticised what he calls 'foreign freeloaders' benefiting from lower drug prices abroad while Americans pay substantially more. In a speech, he singled out obesity treatments, saying a friend in London had bought the 'fat shot drug' for far less than in the US.
Research by the Rand Corporation suggests that US drug prices are, on average, almost three times higher than those in many other advanced economies.
The pharmaceutical industry has been working to counter the potential threat of a 'most favoured nation' policy, which could peg American prices to those charged internationally.
Lilly noted that the UK was one of the first markets where it launched Mounjaro and said its initial priority had been to get the medicine to diabetes patients quickly.
'At launch, Lilly agreed to a UK list price that is significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability.
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 company said.
Negotiations between drugmakers and the UK government over NHS medicine costs have been tense, with discussions about changes to a clawback tax on drug sales dragging past agreed deadlines.
The government's most recent proposals included plans to spend more on medicines, but industry leaders expressed frustration at the lack of detail or clarity on whether this would mean buying more medicines or paying higher prices for existing ones.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Mounjaro for up to 3.4 million people in England.
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However, concerns over affordability led to an agreement for a phased rollout, starting with around 250,000 patients who have the highest clinical need over the first three years.
NHS England confirmed that the upcoming price changes would not affect how it provides the drug to eligible patients with obesity or diabetes.
'Mounjaro is a cost-effective and valuable tool to support people to reach a healthier weight and the wider health and lifestyle benefits that offers,' it said.
The changes place the UK price closer to the European average and come at a time when pharmaceutical companies are increasingly conscious of how international price differences could shape future US policy decisions.
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