To think that they could roll out mounjaro in less than 12 years?

[caffelattetogo]

I thought this was 12 months when I read it first - is it me or does 12 years seem like a long time to prescribe for all eligible patients? Particularly as we are told so many expensive medical problems are caused by obesity.

www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/24823250.nhs-mounjaro---will-eligible/

It’s a cost thing, and it’s also because there is a very real concern that it could overwhelm NHS services/GP’s it has been allowed more than a decade to be rolled out.

But if it works, does it not then save the national
pot a huge amount from obesity-related conditions and benefits?

It's because there's not sufficient support staff. If you've had any contact with current NHS weight management services, you'll know that it is already chronically under resourced and not fit for purpose. There's no way they'll be able to turn that shitshow around quickly enough to support the number of people that need help.

Cost and an element of using the early adopters as test subjects - ie, does it have other side effects, does it work long term, can it be stopped without permanent changes to metabolism, does it have effects upon other conditions, what happens when women take it without realising they're pregnant/does it affect fertility - all the things that can only be established over time.

Estimates are that 3.4 million people might be eligible... all of who need at least one initial consultation/ review with a prescriber to determine if it is suitable.

Ideally all should be supported by a weight loss service (the evidence so far only supports use in conjunction with a holistic approach) with regular reviews. each person needs access to medical advice if things aren't going to plan.

There just isn't the infrastructure to start that number of people on it in a short time frame... and what if we discover that it isn't the wonder drug it's been sold as? Do we really want millions on people started on it at the same time if we find that actually it isn't all that great 5 years down the line?

There isn't enough known about long term effects. I'd like to take it but am hesitant to make my weight problems even worse. I'm counting calories for now..

I'm sure there's a huge amount of those eligible people who could fund it before the 12 year period if they wish to use it.

GLPs aren’t new. They have been around since the 80s.

Is that the one that has other benefits too that they are just finding out about, something to do with dementia, as if so it will be a fantastic thing to roll out.

The staff to support it simply don’t exist, it doesn’t really matter how effective the medication is in itself because rolling it out still requires a huge amount of staff involvement which is simply not possible right now

The drugs cost a couple of dollars to make a dose. Current high cost is because of patents which will soon expire. There is no proven need for a support team to accompany treatment. In many countries, millions of people have filled in a five minute on-line form and got the drugs by mail and all the advice they needed on the internet and lost weight and became much healthier. Every drug, from aspirin up, has side-effects and there is simply no evidence that allowing people who need it to have easy access to MJ has any unacceptable issues. (If I was in charge of the NHS I would put it in the water :).)

Why? Not everyone in this country is fat believe it or not.
Why should everyone be subjected to a drastic body altering drug just because some have no will power or just look for an lazy option

I don't think that was a serious suggestion 😀
Just removing the entirely pointless gatekeeping before giving people access to a simple and potentially life-changing medical treatment.

Oh, do feck off yourself, you charming creature.
I said some not all. Which statistically is true

this and there was also a case of someone dying that was linked to it.

@Hippopotas someone has died from every drug that's available. I know someone that died from morphine administered to them in hospital so should that be banned as well?

Yes, OP, you are absolutely right, of course 12 years is ridiculous. A whole population of tens of millions was virtually being dragged off the streets to have the Covid vaccines. (I’m aware of the differences, but still…)
With my cynical hat on I would say it’s because:

1. Until they become generic the initial outlay will genuinely be too high for the NHS so there’s the hope that many people will self-fund. Or..
2. I wonder (not just cynically but possibly straying into the land of conspiracy theories 😜) if the Big Junk Food lobbyists are making strenuous efforts to ‘persuade’ govts to delay. The stratospheric profits these companies make for shareholders won’t be given up lightly.

And, unfortunately, as with the Covid vacs, @Hippopotas , when a large amount of people are treated with a drug, a statistically tiny number of people will react negatively, usually because of an underlying condition that was not previously known about. Which is, for the individual, absolutely terrible, but not for the population as a whole.

Yes, this is my feeling too. Family have done NHS weight loss services and found it wasn't much help. I tried MJ and found it helped, and it seemed like a good answer for more people to have access to it.

Oh come on it’s a lazy tired old trope and you know it. It’s an easy way to belittle overweight people and I’m sick of it.

I never said it should be banned just mentioning a fact in response to someone noting the unknown long term effects.

Many people on MJ have discovered that the emotional/mental element of the act of eating naturally eased as the phsyiologically overpowering drive to eat was reduced due to the medication's effects. So, in essence, there is no real need for therapy when you're not driven to eat in the first place.

I think this medication will revolutionise a lot of people's lives when it becomes cheaper and easier to procure, either privately or via the NHS. There's a dermapatch coming out in 2025 I think, and pills are also in final phases of testing.

There's no point saying anymore that being overweight or obese is a choice - it's a metabolic and/or dietigenic disease that can be treated with medication. 😊

You go ahead and believe a trope does not contain truth if it makes you feel better.

Yes, fat bashing is not helpful.

That is a very big if. If it ‘works’ what unforeseen knock-on effects will there be? Like, for example, the impact on male fertility rates of more oestrogen in the water system, since the introduction of the pill.

Also, I think you’ll find that even thin people get ill. All of us, in fact, are going to die of something. There will always be over demand for the NHS.