Devastated at Mounjaro prices increases!

[missy111]

I’ve been on MJ for nearly a year. Gone from BMI of 42.5 to 39. However, the improvements in my Crohn’s disease and inflammatory arthritis have been the main benefit to me! My Crohn’s has never been better, I am no longer panicking about where the nearest toilet is, and can, for the first time in years, eat fresh high fibre foods without it affecting me badly! My joint swelling goes down linked to when I inject, with swelling and pain increasing again prior to the next dose.

i cannot get the drug on the NHS as it’s not licensed for my conditions, and sadly looks like I will have to stop once the manufacturer price increase kicks in on 1 September.

link to more info https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/14/eli-lilly-uk-price-weight-loss-jab-mounjaro-trump?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

@poppym12 hi there my wee pal 💐. I didn’t have any pains or tummy problems to begin with for Mounjaro to have an effect on and I’m sorry so many users will now have a deterioration in their general well being if they have to stop the drug. No wonder people are distraught. Have you seen the official list of the conditions that Mounjaro is now known to have a very positive effect on? It’s really something.

I have though had fabulous results when it comes to blood sugar, cholesterol and BP - I’m now off all of the medications for them and I haven’t felt so well for years. I just dont feel like a 67 year old. Am I worried about the heath problems I had returning? No. Not at all. This was my last chance to get where I am today and I’ll never waste everything I’ve done over the last year by putting the weight back on and sabotaging myself. It’s not going to be easy but I have everything in place to manage it.

For you poppy💐

It may well be unethical, but it can’t be reported(well I suppose it can but it would be pointless). The pharmacies are free to put their prices up at any point. They could put them up even if price rises from the ultimate supplier weren’t coming. Pharmacies aren’t regulated in terms of maximum prices or profit margins. So they aren’t doing anything wrong in terms of things a regulator could look at after it’s reported to them.

I haven't put the boot in or said it's easy to lose weight 🙄

I said the symptoms of arthritis are improved by losing weight - they are. And that if the poster has been on MJ a YEAR and only lost a stone (and is still well into the obese range) she might want to look alternatives.

That's hardly an outlandish or cruel suggestion 🙄

@ElaineBurdockbut increasing the price in the UK doesn’t make it cheaper for you in the US does it?

Trump would like to make it so that no one gets charged less than the US (for any pharmaceuticals, not just weight loss drugs). Obviously this will involve price rises across other countries. However I assume the idea (in as much as I can assume Trump has thought through anything) is that there is a ceiling price in other countries that is less than what it would be in the US. And so the US price would have to come down to match that. It’s not clear what Trump would or can do to enforce this. And his tariffs have already increased drug costs in the US so he’s already done something to hurt his cause here. But that’s the idea.

That's the idea.

Is Saxenda still used? From a brief google, it’s a lot cheaper than MJ and Wegovy. Is it ineffective?

I was talking to my rheumatologist earlier this week and mentioned how much better I was feeling within the first few weeks of taking the injection. He told me tirzepatide, (MJ and Zepbound) is being studied right now as an anti-inflammatory drug and he was very hopeful it would be covered one day by all insurance, including medicare. So, once it gets approved for inflammation and more, it should be covered by the NHS.

As I said in my earlier post, I'm in my 70's, time is not on my side and so I'm coughing up the $504 - $1100 a month.

Don't mean to be rude but would you qualify for NHS Prescriptions as I thought it was going to be prescribed for people over a certain BMI, not sure what that would be just thought would it be worth speaking to GP.

You have to have four to five separate comorbitities, as well as a high BMI, to be eligible under NHS guidelines.

Gosh that sounds a lot. It must be hard to get then. I wonder if it will get easier.

I feel exactly like this
im shaken

But there's only one manufacturer, Eli Lilly. So if they put the price up, the providers have nowhere else to go. OK, so you can change provider, but I'm guessing, depending on how the suppliers negotiate with the manufacturer, there won't be much to choose between them.

'Trump is doing what is best for Americans.'

It's the US healthcare model which causes the price discrepancy. US citizens are held to ransom because of it. The drug companies could quite easily charge the same in the US as they do in other parts of the world, but because it's often insurance companies who pay for the medications, the drug companies ramp the prices up. As soon as an insurance model becomes the norm, pricing gets stupid. You see it all the time - pet insurance, dentistry, etc etc.

@Hysterectomynext how are you doing? Are you going to be able to continue with your weight loss journey at all?

Trump is doing what is best for Americans.'

Yet so many of them still don’t have adequate health care.

But at least the insurance companies do well.

Can you try Ozempic?

I asked med express about a transfer to wevovy and they have said it needs to be started from the lowest dose & titrated up still! Probably worth it long term with the price increases but a bit annoying to titrate down from Mounjaro to titrate up again on wegovy!

Wow @SereneCoralDog I assume from your reply you have not been on mj and prob slim

diet and exercise for some just doesn’t work

mj def helps arthritis and other aches - as well for many their bp has dropped or diabetes

it really is a magic medicine

It's not a free choice if someone is relying on a drug for better health now, and better health outcomes in the future. Even from a purely financial perspective Mounjaro was saving the NHS money and likely to reduce pressure on it in the future.

Hear hear.

I can't help hoping for AstraZeneca or similar to produce something even better, it becomes cheap and ubiquitous and blows Lilly out of the water.

i am at target weight and have tried a few weeks off the jabs but it’s clear i will need maintenance doses for a while longer. i’m gutted about the price rise as i was just about affording it as it was. i am getting a pay rise at work from next month and had hoped to get a fortnightly cleaner as i am single parent working more than full time with 3 kids. one with SEN and one with a chronic life changing health issue. a cleaner would have just made my life that little bit easier and given me some time back for me. i will have to sack that idea off now. it sounds like a middle class hardship but i had so been looking forward to making my life a bit easier. i also pay for private counselling due to DV services only being able to offer 6 recovery sessions and i need much more than that for my emotional well being. i can’t get rid of that and i don’t want to ever be as overweight as i was so my pay rise will go on the difference for mounjaro instead. i am going to look at switching to wegovy if my pharmacy agrees that would work. it’s frightening that there is only one manufacturer of MJ that can hold people to ransom. maybe this will incentivise another producer to make something similar and introduce some competition.
the judgement about MJ use is why only me and my GP know i’m using it. she agrees it’s done me the power of good and improved a lot of my aches pains and niggles and improved my overall physical and mental health.
@Nunenco chemist4u are offering 3 month bundles at the old price but i don’t know if that’s for new customers. i’ve emailed them to ask.
i take 7.5mg every ten days (pharmacist suggested this as right for me even though it goes beyond the recommended 30 days opening but i do keep it in the fridge) and i use the golden dose too so i pay out every 6 weeks.

Can everyone experiencing these unexpected side effects complete the yellow form about it. I would hope the pharmaceutical companies will investigate its use to treat some of the other conditions as well, but they will only do that if enough people report them. A bit like viagra being developed as a heart drug but now used for its side effect! yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

I’ve had this email from my provider, hopefully it won’t be as bad as we think “
You may have heard that our supplier, Lilly, has announced that from 1st September, the price of Mounjaro in the UK will be increased for all providers.

We understand this may feel worrying, and we want to assure you that our priority is to continue supporting you through your treatment.
What it means for you as an existing patient
Pricing
Our current pricing will remain the same for as long as possible. We will keep you informed of any updates to pricing or supply.
Continuity of your care
We are committed to providing you with continuity of care and fairness. Mounjaro stock is currently limited, please be assured we are prioritising existing patients. This means that you can request your next dose as normal. After that, we will contact you via email when you can request your next dose.”

Oushk pharmacy. Yes I was open and honest, a lot of the big providers immediately said no, but I spoke to the pharmacist at Oushk and had a positive conversation with her about it.

Super helpful. I’m fairly sure all of the people who decided to pay over £100 a month potentially indefinitely, wouldn’t have tried a couple of other options first.