6th December 2024 Update
Following on from today's NICE guidance update - we expect to be able to offer Tirzepatide as a practice at some point midway through 2025. There will be further updates to come and we will update this page as we understand more. The current guidance is still clear - Please note that Tirzepatide is not currently available for use in weight management across Greater Manchester and therefore should not be prescribed. (source GMICB Medicines Team)
Update on availability of Wegovy® (semaglutide) to support weight loss
Weight-loss drug Wegovy® has started to become available in the UK as part of a controlled and limited launch of the medication.
Wegovy® is the brand name for semaglutide, a drug which has been licensed and approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the management of obesity. Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures Wegovy®, has confirmed that semaglutide is in short supply and expects it to be for the foreseeable future.
A proportion of the available supply has now been allocated to NHS services. NHS England is implementing the NICE guidance for weight management and will continue ongoing work to restore supplies of the drug for people with type 2 diabetes.
Accessing Wegovy® for weight loss
Wegovy® can only be supplied through specialist services in-line with NICE appraisal. We as your GP practice will not be able to prescribe this medication to you and specialist services should not be contacted to obtain this medication until arrangements have been put in place.
Further information about accessing Wegovy® for weight loss can be found on the Department of Health and Social Care website and the NICE website.
TIRZEPATIDE injection (Mounjaro®▼) for type 2 diabetes T
Tirzepatide is a first in class dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist which is licensed for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.
NICE technology appraisal (TA) 924 recommends tirzepetide for treating type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise in adults when it is insufficiently controlled only if:
- triple therapy with metformin and 2 other oral antidiabetic drugs is ineffective, not tolerated or contraindicated, and
- they have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m2 or more, and specific psychological or other medical problems associated with obesity, or
- they have a BMI of less than 35 kg/m2 , and:
- insulin therapy would have significant occupational implications, or
- weight loss would benefit other significant obesity-related complications.
Lower BMI thresholds should be used (usually reduced by 2.5 kg/m2 ) for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family backgrounds.
The NICE committee recommended tirzepatide in line with the company’s positioning, that is, as an alternative to GLP-1 receptor agonists in the type 2 diabetes treatment pathway. Current pathways for further management of type 2 diabetes are those described in NICE guideline (NG28) which covers the care and management for adults (aged 18 and over).
The recommendations in NICE TA924 do not extend to use of tirzepetide in combination with insulin, therefore this statement does not recommend use of tirzepetide with insulin.
This statement does not cover the use of tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity. NICE are currently developing separate guidance for its use for these conditions.