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24
Jun
NHS gives details of new weight loss drug in Harrogate district
About 300 people in the Harrogate district are estimated to be eligible for the new weight loss drug introduced by the NHS yesterday (June 23).
However, they are likely to have to wait several months before they are prescribed it.
Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, is a self-injectable pen that regulates blood sugar levels. It can be used to treat weight loss as well as type 2 diabetes.
The drug was introduced to some GP surgeries yesterday.
Integrated care boards (ICBs), which are NHS organisations responsible for planning local health services, are responsible for its rollout.
However, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, whose remit covers the Harrogate district, is not yet providing Mounjaro.
The Stray Ferret understands it might not be available until after Christmas.
A spokesperson for the NHS said:
We're still finalising the delivery model – how people will be able to access prescriptions for tirzepatide, along with the wraparound support that patients need to engage with in order to get tirzepatide through the NHS for weight loss.
Body mass index
Only people with a very high body mass index and four out of five obesity-related health conditions will be eligible to access the service through the NHS.
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB estimates that of the 1.7 million people it oversees, around 3,000 people in Humber and North Yorkshire would meet the tirzepatide qualifying criteria in the first year.
Of the 164,000 people living in the Harrogate district, only about 300 are expected to qualify in year one.
The drug's full rollout is due to take 12 years, with the criteria loosening each year, so the eligibility figure should increase annually.
The Stray Ferret recently reported on the dangers that unregulated weight-loss drugs can pose, after a woman in North Yorkshire was taken to intensive care.
She had used a weight-loss jab allegedly sourced from a local salon.
The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB spokesperson said:
We acknowledge the high profile that weight loss injections have and if people choose to access tirzepatide privately, they should make sure it's from reputable sources/providers.
Unregulated medicines can be fake, unsafe, or illegal. These can pose serious risks to people's health.
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