Another calm and supportive thread to discuss the Price Increases: Mounjaro THREAD TWO

[TryingAgainAgainAgain]

Keep calm and carry on discussing The Pendemic…

(sorry)

I guess we just need to wait and see then?

I asked my provider if they had any info and they said they don't as yet but will let patients know as soon as they hear anything.

I asked my provider if they had any info and they said they don't as yet but will let patients know as soon as they hear anything.

This was the email Eli Lilly were sending out, and I don’t think anything new has been said since, @NotPerfectlyAdverage.

Soneone on Reddit has pointed out that only the UK has regulatory approval for the new fill level and they’ll likely want to get approval across Europe before manufacturing new pens. But who knows what their plan is, the grasping bastards.

Screenshots added again here, @NotPerfectlyAdverage, from 10 September.

So basically, we’re pretty pissed off people are getting a 5th dose so well ensure you can’t do that anymore.

Wondering if they’ll increase prices again ‘because it’s a new product/packaging….’

Removing the 5th dose is the same as increasing the price per dose by another 25%. Coupled with the August price rises that will mean the cost per dose for the higher doses has pretty much doubled.

So if you use a 2.5 mg pen costing let’s say £140. With the 5th dose the cost is around £28 per jab but without the 5th dose it is £35 per jab.

If you use 10 mg pen costing let’s say £240. With the 5th dose that’s £48 per jab and without the 5th dose it’s £60. So a significant saving.

its not surprising that people consider staying with higher dose pens and stretching pens to six weeks or so

I personally think that after all the moving goalposts it's becoming a more attractive option.

It's what I'm doing. It's the only way I can afford to stay on MJ. Starting at around twice the weight of my losses ideal bmi it's the best choice out of limited choices. I don't want to stop and I can't spare £300 every four weeks. If I'd known all this was coming I'm not sure I would started on MJ as one key choice is "can I offord this?" And today right it's no I can't whereas I could in March when I was weighing my choice up.

Anyway it's a less than ideal choice for me but it's better than stopping right now.

Yep.
When I started, I didn’t even look at the 5th dose.
MJ was expensive but ok. I’d agree to it.

Now I feel like they’ve taken me for a mug tbh.
Which triggers the (maybe not so healthy) reaction of ‘fuck them. I’ll stockpile and use higher pens over 6 weeks instead’

Yes, I just got my latest MJ pen which was 10mg and dated March 2027. I think with the ones I have now (12.5mg and 15mg) using 5mg a week, I probably have enough to last into spring of 2027.

I have been told if I have a break I can return at BMI 22 plus, but whether that would be to wegovy or MJ I don't know.

I saw a post on Reddit where someone discussed using a pen for more doses than intended. One point that I thought was interesting, in addition to stringent hygiene, was that they used a syringe for every dose, not just the "golden" one because they were concerned about any contamination via backflow into the pen when you hold it in place for a few seconds after injecting (their thought was that even a miniscule reduction in pressure on the end button or the plunger moving back a bit automatically could do this). No idea if that is an issue but it is yet another possibility to bear in mind if using the pen off-licence

Let’s hope it takes ages 🤞

@QueenOfHiraeth with backflow being a possibility with similar insulin pens I agree anyone going off license should include that in their risk assessment and proceed with the assumption it is also a possibility with WLI pens, and that the risk will increase over time.

A week or two over 30 days I can see the attraction, if there is an increased risk it will not be significantly higher. A pen in use for months is an entirely different proposition, too many unknowns, and not one I would do.

This is what I do too. I also inject every 5 days, so am aware that I am already breaking the seal on the vial more frequently than I would for a weekly dose. I am absolutely scrupulous about infection control to mitigate the slightly higher risks.

It makes me so angry that we're having to even discuss this, let alone forced to do it as the alternative is a return to obesity and probable early death. I'm going to be seriously looking at the world market when the patent for Wegovy comes off for several countries next year but hate that's the position we're being pushed into. Ive lost any faith in pharma companies and regulators having our best interests at heart - they could decide tomorrow that we all have to come off at bmi 25 for example or that prices should double again, just because their shareholders are demanding it.

@KrankyKumquat I agree it's a pain but we do have to be thankful that we got that 1-2years at a far lower price than anywhere else in the world. I'm almost 6st down on where I started so, while I'm considering all options from here, I'm very aware that I would never have started this process at current prices and would still be morbidly obese and a size 24.
I ordered an extra pen before the price increases and am debating whether to space my orders out now to reduce that stash or keep ordering monthly so I won't get caught by this pen change too.

I guess that is the point. Like @QueenOfHiraeth I was morbidly obese with a BMI of 41. I am not sure if I would have started MJ at the current prices with all of the unknowns about how long, will it work, and side effects. As it was I read through Mounjuners and Auggies threads before taking the plunge and joining the Nov24 gang.

I think I am happy to make a pen last 6 weeks, maybe 7 but not months. Even though I have a stash I am going to order again in November & December.

When Wegovy patent ends Big Pharma will have less muscle and the next hot weight loss jab/tablet will be out. An off patent Wegovy might be ideal for low-cost approach to maintenance.

I keep thinking I should buy when offers are on because the current pens have 5 doses, but also now have 4 pens and I’m taking 3.75 or 2.5 (tried 2.5 this week but feeling very hungry) from a 5mg so actually have quite a stash, I ordered my last pen the day before the latest Oushk offer, but still thinking about if I should order another to get the offer, I wish I didn’t have to think about such things, but the price rise has made my so unsure about what might happen with prices and I plan to keep on taking a low dose long term, so any saving helps, It’s all very annoying!

This

bad enough they upped the price

but to take away the 5th dose /20% of the pen is mean

It’s pure shite, isn’t it? 😡

I am going to start buying another pen each month although I have two in the fridge already as I'm worried about losing the 5th dose. I checked Oushk (my usual pharmacy) and the price of a 15mg pen was £280, it didn't say this was an offer, I thought they were going to be charging £320? I bought one with another £15 discount code and shipping was free. I couldn't see any promotions on the site and I'm not joining the Facebook group so is this an offer or have they reduced prices from their original projection?

@Blondeshavemorefun @DottyMcDiet @Choux I think we all feel that way. It feels mean and almost personal to us but it is nothing to them. After years of working for the NHS in this field, I know that these huge companies are solely focussed on profits as that is what funds their next drug. Most people don't realise how much the NHS and clinicians normally look out for costs and our interests but, as this is all privately supplied, we don't really have them in our corner (I do believe that in this private situation, many prescribers are motivated as much by profit as by clinical care standards or patients)
In many ways this should terrify us all as it is a sign of what could happen to medication supply and cost without the NHS.

@BabyCatFace thats the offer price, available till 1/10.
I think standard price is £325 for 15mg but can’t help but think Oushk will either keep doing offers or reduce the price as they are aware people are now price shopping and they aren’t as competitive as they used the be.
You can sign up for emails if you want to know when offers are on.

@QueenOfHiraeth having recently spent a few years living in Canada and USA I now realise how most people just take the NHS and fixed price prescriptions for granted, luckily I only had to access healthcare a couple of times whilst there but it was a very different experience.