Particle.news

Download on the App Store

UK Grants Pharmacies Power to Prescribe NHS Weight-Loss Jabs in 10-Year Health Plan

Community pharmacies will dispense NHS Wegovy and Mounjaro jabs once funding terms are finalised

Vials of Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss (Photo: REUTERS/Almaas Masood/File Photo)
Mounjaro is already available to eligible NHS patients via their GP (Photo: George Frey/Reuters)

Overview

  • Under the 10-Year Health Plan unveiled by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, community pharmacies will be empowered to prescribe NHS-funded Wegovy and Mounjaro obesity injections
  • No definitive rollout schedule has been announced, with the service launch awaiting final agreements on NHS funding and drug supply volumes
  • Pharmacist organisations say their members are prepared to deliver weight-loss jabs once negotiations on pricing and NHS remuneration are finalised
  • The scheme aims to widen access beyond the severely obese patients currently eligible and to reduce the two-tier system that favours those who can afford private prescriptions
  • The broader plan also sets a daily calorie-reduction target, pushes supermarkets to make healthier options easier and seeks to drive down drug costs through price talks and clinical trial collaboration