The future of mounjaro?

[Legopotamus]

I know none of us have a crystal ball, but I'd love to know what developments you think there might be in the future in terms of how/ when people take it.

Could there be a pill for a maintenance dose? Maybe a longer lasting injection?
Any way of it supporting a healthier lifestyle indefinitely

(Asking hopefully as it's been so life-changing for me!)

There is a pill form currently in clinical trials so I would assume we will have that at some point in the foreseeable future.

In terms of who and when you can take it I think in 10 -15 years when you go to your gp with a bmi in the obese range or an overweight bmi and a weight related condition and your GP will just give you a lrescription. They may also even offer if you have a condition that puts you at greater risk of obesity like PCOS.

I also think their uses will be expanded to treat things like addiction and mabey even alzhimers. But we shall have to wait and see what the clinical trials show on these ones.

It depends on how long the companies producing it have the exclusive patent for. Once the patent comes to an end and other companies can make similar products I think it will be so mainstream and affordable that it will change the face of obesity forever.

That's a good point , hadn't thought about the patent ending. There's hope for the prices going down

@Caffeineneedednow I didn't realise there was a pill in development. Should have realised really. Surely it's one of the most lucrative new drugs on the market.

The pill isn't available yet. It will no doubt be a complete goldmine when it is. I actually prefer the weekly injection but taking a pill will be, for a lot of people, more discreet and much easier to keep confidential.

I think the addiction route is the most interesting one. If it had a genuine sustainable impact on damaging addictive behaviour it would be amazing.

I don’t think the mass independent online prescribing by pharmacists will continue. It blows my mind that this drug is prescribed without medical input. Imagine a pharmacist having complete control over your anti depressant dose or blood pressure medication without ever seeing a doctor for Hollistic management?

@Donewiththisshit you have just described exactly my NHS blood pressure medication review. All done over the phone with a pharmacist, no GP input and relying on my home BP readings. So I don’t have to imagine it!

And, many different prescription medications are currently prescribed by online pharmacists and have been for years. There is medical input, cases are reviewed by doctors and by pharmacists, and often GPs are informed of the prescription decision.

IMHO pharmacists have more time so are more thorough

@SilenceInside mine too! All of my bp medication treatment has been via the clinical pharmacist over the phone.

@Donewiththisshit pharmacists are very well qualified and my understanding is that independent pharmacist prescribing for numerous conditions is the aim for the near future to free up gp services.

In my experience pharmacists often have far more knowledge about medications and their effects than doctors who often have to refer to the BNF for advice.

I don't think it's that, I think it's because the ones selling the drug are working for themselves and prepared to put the work in in order to get the money!

Over the last couple of years I’ve had HRT prescribed for the first time and my blood pressure medication adjusted in 2 min phone calls. My ds(21) was prescribed antibiotics and referred to dermatology without seeing a Dr, then prescribed roaccutane in a 4 min dermatology appointment where they just looked at his face from the other side of a table and wrote out a script.

Don’t think I’ve experienced “holistic management” in the nhs in my life!

pharmacists prescribing drugs with clear guidelines will expand rather than reduce. The nhs need them.

Awww. It's lovely how many people are worried about me losing weight thanks to Mounjaro. Far more so than when my health was at far more risk due to obesity. People worry about whether my pharmacist is qualified to prescribe, if I'm going to put all that weight back on and being a guinea pig on the expensive death jabs. Thoughts and prayers welcome

Online pharmacists have been prescribing medication online for years .
People suddenly have a problem with this when they start prescribing weight loss drugs .
I wonder why

A Dr. oversees my online prescriptions (and I’m sure I’m not alone in this). I think it’s part of the reason why my pens are 240 pounds each when I deduct the 60 pounds DHL delivery charge to my part of the world from the total.

Also, a persons Dr is supposed to be informed you are on the medication and surely they’d contact you if they had any concerns about you.

I’d like to hope so! That is their speciality after all. In an ideal world a doctor or nurse would make a diagnosis and then a pharmacist would decide on your medication. Some doctors are way out of date in their knowledge of medicines.

I hope that its cost is reduced when the patent expires. Very interesting points raised here about how others view mountjaro- I’ve had some sneering comments when I’ve said I am considering.

Exactly
Many of my friends and family are pharmacists and they definitely have a thorough knowledge of the medications. That is what they spent years in university and then undergoing pre registration training for .
i think that some people think that pharmacists just put the medication in a white paper bag and that is all they do

This. It’s completely mad.

It’s something like 5 years’ education to qualify as a pharmacist. The idea they are prescribing without enough knowledge is just daft. And as others have said, they are already responsible for overseeing lots of other serious medication.

A doctor signs off my prescription. I still think there are significant issues - GPs are being landed with the fallout workload, ie being informed that person X has started the drug and having to review the case without any prior involvement, and ive no idea what the doctors who are checking and prescribing actually do. But it isn't a pharmacist that prescribes as such.

Prescription only medication cannot be "prescribed" by a pharmacist. A doctor has to sign the prescription at some point.

I get a fair amount of tablets / HRT on prescription
I order it online on my surgery’s app
it always says “ the doctor has approved your prescriptions“ and will be sent to xxx pharmacy to be collected please wait for your pharmacist to text you

Wegovy goes off patent in 2028 and Mounjaro in 2032 (in the U.K.). Expect there to be a huge number of generic manufacturers lined up to market much cheaper versions.

i said in another thread that at that point I expect societal attitudes to completely shift, and that the judgy people amongst us will say there is no excuse any more for being fat and everyone overweight should be on WLI.

i think it will be perceived like statins for cholesterol and blood pressure medication - in the standard suite of medications for people over certain age/weight.