Thousands of patients in England will be able to access weight-loss jabs via their GP from Monday for the first time.
The mass rollout on the NHS means family doctors will be allowed to prescribe the drugs for the first time. About 220,000 people with “greatest need” are expected to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide and made by Eli Lilly, on the NHS over the next three years.
The drug works by lowering blood sugar levels and slows down how quickly food is digested.
From Monday, GPs in England will be allowed to prescribe Mounjaro to severely obese people living with a range of other health problems. Patients previously needed to access the drugs through a special weight loss service.
GP leaders said some family doctors had expressed concern about the additional workload, while pharmacy experts also said there could be pressure on supplies of the drug.
In the first year of the programme, it will be offered to people with a body mass index (BMI) score of more than 40 who have at least four other health problems linked to obesity such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.
Estimates suggest about 1.5 million people in the UK are already taking weight-loss drugs, which may have been prescribed through specialist weight loss services or via private prescription.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “While we recognise the potential benefits of weight-loss drugs, we know many GPs are concerned about the implications of the rollout of weight-loss drugs into general practice, both in terms of workload and training to appropriately initiate and manage these treatments.
“GPs and our teams are already working under intense workload and workforce pressures, and this must be factored into this rollout in order to guarantee it can be delivered safely.
“More widely, while weight-loss medications have a lot of potential benefits for patients who are struggling to lose weight and who meet all the clinical criteria for a prescription, they mustn’t be seen as a ‘silver bullet’ to aid weight loss.
“We also need to see a focus on prevention, stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don’t require a medical intervention later.”
Olivier Picard, the chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said the demand for weight-loss jabs continued to rise sharply.
“As the NHS is now moving to implement National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, and tirzepatide becomes prescribable to more patients, we expect to see prescription volumes increase rapidly,” he said.
“However, NHS provision won’t meet demand straight away, so we fully expect that many people will continue seeking it privately from a pharmacy.”