MPs urge faster NHS access to Mounjaro

The Commons Health and Social Care Committee has urged the government to speed up NHS access to Mounjaro, saying current plans would reach only a small share of people estimated to be eligible for the weight-loss drug. The committee called for an urgent reassessment of the rollout, a new framework with targets for local access to GLP-1 medicines, and a summit bringing together providers and healthcare professionals. It also recommended making greater use of digital providers to help expand services. The committee report says around 220,000 people are to receive NHS access to Mounjaro over three years, about 6% of the estimated eligible population. NHS England estimates that 2.8 million people could be eligible. Treating all of them in the first year was estimated to cost £15.2 billion over five years, prompting a phased approach, according to the report. Committee members said limited NHS availability risks making access depend more on a person’s ability to pay than on clinical need. They argued that the NHS should treat obesity as a long-term condition and provide more structured support, rather than relying on medication alone. NHS England said it is testing new ways to...