NHS commissioning of Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) for the management of obesity continues to be for the NHS eligible cohort of people. i.e. those with a BMI of 40 or more in addition to four of more qualifying comorbidities.
For people that have previously accessed Tirzepatide through a private provider, the NHS may only continue treatment if, following an assessment by the Integrated Care Board’s commissioned weight management service, the individual meets the eligibility criteria at the time they present to the NHS.
If a person seeking treatment does not meet the eligibility criteria in the NHS, they should be advised of this. We recognise this may be disappointing for people. NHS teams, including primary care providers could provide reassurance to the person that stopping Tirzepatide, that is being taken for its licensed weight loss indication, is not known to cause withdrawal symptoms, but that they should continue, where appropriate, a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity if they want to reduce the risk of weight regain.
Any person presenting to an NHS service with questions about their private Tirzepatide prescription, including stopping or tapering off the drug, should be directed to speak with their private provider.
Weight Loss Medication
NHS England and NICE have set rules about who can get Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®). There will be a phased approach for the rollout within primary care and initially Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will only be available on the NHS to people with the most serious health needs. This approach will ensure the service is delivered safely and the NHS is able to plan for an increase in the number of people eligible for assessment for Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®), whilst building skills and knowledge within the workforce. NICE will complete a review after three years about who else will be able to access the medication. After that, more information will be provided about the next groups of people.
Eligibility will be based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and the number and type of other obesity related health conditions a person has.
To be prescribed Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) people must:
Have a BMI of 40 or more, and
Have at least four or more of the following health conditions:
· Hypertension
· Dyslipidaemia
· Obstructive sleep apnoea
· Cardiovascular disease
· Type 2 diabetes mellitus
As yet the practice is not providing this service, however, if this changes we will contact eligible patients.
Information for patients on new eligibility criteria for Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) weight loss injections is available on the NHS England website. NHS England » Medicines for obesity and North East and North Cumbria ICB website Advice and support weight-loss drugs information for patients
It is estimated that around 3.4 million people in England are eligible for the drug. The roll out of Tirzepatide will be carefully managed to ensure healthcare professionals can continue to meet the full range of health needs of all their patients. Initially, only those with the highest clinical need will be prioritised to receive the medication while the NHS tests a variety of new services to care for people living with obesity. This will include prioritising people who are already receiving care in specialist weight management services (SWMS). Patients will be able to access Tirzepatide, where clinically appropriate, within 90 days of NICE’s final guidance being published in SWMS and 180 days in primary care.
Advice regarding injectable weight loss drugs and contraception
If you are taking weight loss injections Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) via a private prescriber, this may mean that your contraception pills do not work effectively. If you are using the contraceptive pill, please use condoms for four weeks after each dose change, to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. This does not apply to semaglutide (Ozempic). Please contact the practice if you want to discuss your contraception.
Advice regarding injectable weight loss drugs and HRT
If you are using weight loss injections this may have an impact on the effectiveness of your HRT to adequately protect your endometrium (womb lining). This is particularly for women on oral progesterone HRT. Please do contact the practice for a review so that we can discuss potential alternatives.
Self Referral Portal NENC
The form will take approximately 5-10 minutes for patients to complete. The ICB will get back in touch with the patients within 4-6 weeks to invite them to an engagement session to give them more information about the weight loss medicines and the next steps.
Please see the URL link and QR code below for the weight loss drugs and lifestyle changes – self referral portal: