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A diabetes medicine, Mounjaro, has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to treat overweight patients. The weight loss medication originally developed for Type 2 diabetes is now accessible to individuals aged 18 and over who are dealing with obesity and weight-related health issues. The active ingredient, tirzepatide, works by making the patient feel fuller and reducing food cravings. The injection helps individuals lose 20 per cent of their body weight, and are advised to follow a reduced-calorie diet and increase physical activity simultaneously. Although it is not authorised to use on the NHS as yet but future approvals can be predicted.

British pharmacies and slimming clinics are reducing prices for weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro in a competitive bid to win patients. Both Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) injection drugs are cleared for weight loss in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Wegovy was launched in the UK market in September, with Mounjaro following in February. Initially designed for treating type 2 diabetes, the drugs have been found to also induce weight loss by suppressing appetite and decelerating digestion. As reported by Reuters, Simple Online Pharmacy has further reduced the price of starter doses of Mounjaro to £149 for a one-month supply. In February, the price was cut to £159 ($198) from £179. Additionally, the pharmacy on Monday discounted the higher Mounjaro strengths that patients take later.

Eli Lilly's weight-loss medicine Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, will be available in the UK within weeks as a four-dose pre-filled injection pen. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the drug to treat adults with type 2 diabetes and for weight management in obese patients. Branded as Mounjaro KwikPen, the injection is to be used together with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the regulator said. "The public health importance of safe and effective treatments to help manage diabetes and obesity, which can have a significant impact on people's health, is clear. "This approval enables access to the approved Mounjaro pen in a more convenient presentation of a month's treatment, of one dose per week," said Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the port of Cincinnati seized two unapproved shipments of weight loss drugs, including one from a UK pharmacy, last month. On 5 October, CBP officers seized a shipment declared as "cosmetic weight loss product" and found containing Mounjaro injectable pens of multiple doses (2.5mg, 5mg, and 7mg). The shipment, arriving from a UK pharmacy and heading to a residence in Ohio, violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection report. Cincinnati CBP officers on 14 October intercepted another shipment, which was also destined for an Ohio residence. This shipment from Hong Kong contained 20 vials of Semaglutide 10 mg and 150 Tirzepatide 30 mg, with a domestic value of $45,450. LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations-Chicago, stated that seizures involving these types of unapproved medications are a common occurrence that her officers see on a regular basis.

Amgen's experimental obesity drug demonstrated promising durability trends in an early trial, paving the way for a larger mid-stage study early next year, company officials said ahead of a data presentation on Saturday (December 3). The small Phase I trial found that patients maintained their weight loss for 70 days after receiving the highest tested dose of the injected drug, currently known as AMG133. Amgen shares have gained about 5% since the company said on Nov. 7 that 12 weeks of trial treatment at the highest monthly dose of AMG133 resulted in mean weight loss of 14.5%. At 150 days after the last dose, maintained weight loss had dropped to 11.2% below original weight at the start of the trial, according to findings detailed at a meeting of World Congress of Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Los Angeles. Patients treated with AMG133 did have side effects including nausea and vomiting, but most cases were mild and resolved within a couple of days after the first dose, Amgen said.

Kent and Medway prescribe the highest number of semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepeptide - drugs that are commonly used for treating type 2 diabetes, weight loss, or both - in the UK, according to recent research by Click Pharmacy. Called GLP-1 agonists, these drugs mimic the effects of the GLP-1 hormone, which is released by the body after eating. This hormone slows digestion, stimulates insulin release, and inhibits glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar, making GLP-1 agonists effective treatments for diabetes and weight management. The online pharmacy's research reveals that Kent and Medway prescribed the most of these drugs in the month of June 2024, with 6,326 prescriptions. Other NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) with high prescription rates included: Black Country and West Birmingham (5,019) Hampshire, Southampton, and Isle of Wight (4,960) Birmingham and Solihull (4,775) North Central London (4,528) North East London (3,557) North West London (3,498) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (2,973) Coventry and Warwickshire (2,912) Norfolk and Waveny (2,575) Brighton and Hove topped the list for prescribing Wegovy, a weight-loss drug containing semaglutide, with 35 prescriptions made out in June alone.