Key Summary
- The UK list price for Moujaro will go up by 170 percent from next month
- Ozempic will now be around half the price of Mounjaro
- Prices paid by the NHS for the drug will not rise
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive Henry Gregg said he had a meeting with senior executives from Eli Lilly on Monday (18) to discuss their plans to introduce price increases and discount agreements for Mounjaro from 1 September.
The US pharma giant announced last week that it will raise the UK list price of its weight-loss jab by up to 170 percent from next month.
The company's announcement came amid a White House push to get drugmakers to raise medicine prices in Europe to allow for price cuts in the United States.
In NPA's LinkedIn page, Gregg wrote, "We asked to meet as a matter of urgency because we are very clear that community pharmacy should be treated fairly by medicine manufacturers and nothing should harm the interests of our patients, many of whom are facing potentially large increases in prices.
"Nor should wholesale medicine price rises put pressure on the payment for the wrap around care that pharmacists provide - and are crucial to the success of any weight loss treatment."
He pointed out that services such as weight loss treatments are crucial to the viability of many pharmacies. "So we need to make sure that short notice changes in terms and conditions don’t create uncertainty for patients and practical and financial difficulties for businesses," he added.
Gregg said the NPA raised a number of concerns with Eli Lilly officials.
"They assured me that there is one discount for everyone and that there will be a level playing field for community pharmacy and all other providers," he added.
Online drug seller Pharmacy2U has said it will freeze its Mounjaro prices for weight-loss patients “until further notice”, despite a price hike announced by Lilly, The Pharmaceutical Journal reports.
Meanwhile, the sale of Mounjaro's competitor drug Ozempic has soared in Britain.
Ozempic, manufactured by Denmark's Novo Nordisk, will now be around half the price of Mounjaro.
Toby Nicol, founder and chief executive of Chequp, a provider of the weight-loss treatment, told The Independent that the shift to Ozempic is around 500-600 percent.
However, he warned that patients should only switch treatments under the supervision of a trusted pharmacist to manage any potential health risks.
The NHS began offering Mounjaro to obese patients from June this year, and around 97,500 patients are expected to benefit from the treatment.
Prices paid by the NHS for the drug will not rise after the health service negotiated a substantial discount for patients taking the drug on prescription.
Eli Lilly said it was working with private healthcare providers to maintain access to the jab.
