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Scientists comment on NHS England proposing a phased launch of the weight loss drug Mounjaro to NICE.
Dr Simon Cork, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“The planned roll out of tirzepatide marks a key milestone in the future of obesity treatment. Like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide has been shown to be highly effective in clinical trials. The detail of what this roll out will look like is key to how effective this drug will be in a real-world setting. The NICE press release speaks of “community-based services” and “digital technologies” to roll out the medication to a “quarter of a million people” with a multi-disciplinary team involved to provide dietary and nutritional support. This is no small task for the NHS, and it will be difficult to provide the level of wraparound care seen in patients who took part in the clinical trial, and which is likely necessary to achieve maximum health benefits. We know for example that patients on weight loss drugs lose muscle mass as well as fat mass, and this loss of muscle has the potential to lead to frailty. Providing the right kind of exercise support is vital to ensure patients remain healthy on their weight loss journey. Providing targeted and personalised dietary advice is also key to ensure that patient adherence to these drugs remains high and to maximise the amount of weight loss achieved. Without this high level of wraparound care, the NHS risks wasting money on these medications by not achieving the highest levels of weight loss possible. It is not clear whether the NHS has the capacity to provide this high level of wraparound care in the community to achieve this.”
A copy of the full funding variation request submitted to NICE by NHS England can be found here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ta11156/documents/html-content-10
Declared interests
Dr Simon Cork: No COI’s.