Wes Streeting (Labour) has pledged to do more to prevent people being "priced out" of accessing weight-loss jabs. The Health Secretary said he wanted more people to get the drugs on the NHS after the manufacturer of Mounjaro raised prices in the private sector.
The 10-year plan for the NHS pledges to expand access to weight-loss services and treatments and bring them closer to where people live and work. This could mean making jabs available "on the high street, or at any out-of-town shopping centre" or via digital services.
Rising costs concern
Streeting told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday the jabs "have been hugely impactful, and the evidence is really encouraging about the impact on obesity and loads of other health conditions that are linked to obesity". However, he noted people "do need to still make changes in terms of their nutrition" and be "fit and active".
He said he was "really concerned" about the rising costs of the jabs "and those who might benefit but can't afford them are being left out". The Health Secretary added: "That goes against my principles, the Labour Government's principles and the principles of the NHS, because we decided back in 1948 in the aftermath of the Second World War that healthcare should be based on need and not the ability to pay."
NHS access priority
Streeting emphasised that the current situation where "some people who can afford them privately getting it, and others who can't being left behind, is wrong". He said this is why he is "determined to widen access via the NHS, where we are also making sure there are the right controls in place, so that only people who need them are diagnosed, and that there's the wraparound support".
The Health Secretary acknowledged concerns about positive body image and eating disorders. He stressed: "So this is a nuanced debate, but I am concerned about people being priced out, I am concerned about access."
Price increases limited
Streeting reassured that the NHS deal secured a good price that remains "unaffected". He explained: "It's the private price that's going up, but I know I've got more work to do to make sure that people who need and would benefit from these jabs can access them via the NHS, because that is the right thing to do."
Eli Lilly, the company behind Mounjaro, has offered a discounted deal to UK suppliers which is expected to limit the price increase from this month. The company originally said in August it was putting up the list price by as much as 170 per cent, which could have meant the highest dose going up from £122 to £330 per month.
However, the highest dose will now be sold to suppliers for £247.50. Eli Lilly originally said the UK price had to increase to be more in line with higher prices in Europe and the US. Estimates suggest about 90 per cent of people on weight-loss jabs pay for them privately online and via high street pharmacies.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
