Buying Mounjaro: tips for choosing a private healthcare provider

Ready to take the next step? See if you're eligible for expert-led weight loss support.

Buying Mounjaro privately? It pays to do your research. Learn 6 things to look for in a healthcare provider.

Mounjaro is an injectable drug that's used to treat obesity and diabetes. If patients take Mounjaro to lose weight and follow a diet and exercise regime, they can expect to lose around 21% of their body weight.¹

While Mounjaro is approved for use on the NHS, it's currently only offered as a treatment for diabetes. It's not available for patients living with obesity who want to lose weight.

This may soon change if proposals by NHS England go ahead. If approved, the proposals will see Mounjaro rolled out on the NHS in a three-year pilot scheme.²

There are, however, still many potential barriers to access for patients.

Initially, the scheme plans to make Mounjaro available to patients with a BMI greater than 40 and three weight-related health problems. As the scheme goes on, access will be granted to more patients. However, the restrictive criteria mean that the drug will still only be available to a fraction of the UK population who are living with obesity.

There are many unanswered questions, too. Will the scheme go ahead? Will changes be made before it's rolled out? And when the scheme is over, will the drug become available to more patients – or will the restrictive criteria for access remain?

Faced with such uncertainty, many people who are living with obesity turn to private healthcare providers for Mounjaro medication. Not only can private clinics supply the drug quickly, but they also allow a wider set of people to access the drug. Here at SemaPen, for instance, we can supply Mounjaro to patients with a BMI of 30 or greater – not 40 or greater like the NHS.

If you're considering buying Mounjaro privately, it's worth doing your research before committing to a provider. Remember that not all private healthcare providers are created equal. Some provide a better patient experience than others – and a few may not have your best interests at heart.

With that in mind, we've come up with some quick tips to help you spot a reputable provider. If you see a clinic that doesn't meet these standards, it's probably worth taking your business elsewhere.

Check its reputation

It's not worth gambling with your health. That's why it's important to choose a reputable provider with a proven track record of providing quality care.

Picture of a friendly-looking doctor in consultation with a patient.

A provider's website is a good place to start. Does it give off a sense of professionalism and experience – or does it look like it was knocked together in an afternoon? Does it provide clear, useful information about the medication – or does it act like it's only interested in the contents of your bank account?

Once you've given its website a once-over, turn your attention to customer reviews. External websites like Trustpilot are often best because they provide unbiased reviews from customers like you.

Check its registrations

Reviews and 'vibe' can only tell you so much. To be sure a healthcare provider is reputable and genuine, you need to check whether it's registered with official bodies.

For instance, is it registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)? All healthcare providers in England must register with the CQC and undergo inspections to ensure they're providing safe, compassionate and high-quality care.

There are equivalent bodies in Scotland (the Care Inspectorate), Wales (the Care Inspectorate Wales) and Northern Ireland (the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority).

SemaPen is registered with the CQC under the provider ID 1-14474096275.

Put its expertise under the microscope

Is the healthcare provider open about its history and experience? Does it talk about its staff and their expertise – or does it seem to avoid mentioning them?

At SemaPen, for instance, we're keen to tell patients that we have more than 20 years of obesity treatment experience as part of Phoenix Health. And that our founder, Professor David Kerrigan, is one of the UK's most renowned bariatric surgeons.

If a provider doesn't shout about its achievements, ask yourself why. Could it be because it doesn't have anything to shout about?

Make sure it offers prescriptions

Mounjaro is a prescription medication. To be approved for treatment, you must have an in-person or online consultation, where you're asked questions to assess your suitability for the drug.

If a provider lets you purchase Mounjaro without a prescription, that's a big red flag. It means the provider isn't following the law and probably isn't prioritising your health and well-being. It also suggests that the clinic isn't registered to provide prescriptions and may be offering counterfeit medication.

Pay attention to the questions asked

Even if your provider offers a consultation to ensure you're suitable for treatment, how can you be sure it takes this responsibility seriously?

It's always possible that a patient could be less than honest in their consultation and receive the medication even though they're not eligible for it. But if a healthcare provider truly cares about the well-being and progress of its patients, it should take steps to prevent this.

That's why SemaPen uses cloud-based technology to track the progress of its patients and identify cases where continued treatment is inadvisable. It's another way of keeping our patients safe and making sure they receive the best possible care.

Watch out for counterfeits

Counterfeit Mounjaro is enough of a problem that its manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has a warning on its website about the risks of buying knock-offs. These risks range from receiving medicine that doesn't work as well as it should to getting a complete fake that actively harms your health.

Be vigilant when buying Mounjaro and keep on the lookout for these fakes. Here are a few warning signs to watch for:

The drug is suspiciously cheap.
It's offered for sale on social media, not through a legitimate website.
It's offered without a prescription or a consultation.
The packaging looks unprofessional or doesn't come with a patient information leaflet.

Make sure you'll get the care you need

Losing weight isn't easy – even with the help of a medication like Mounjaro.

That's why the best Mounjaro providers won't leave you to figure things out on your own. They'll keep track of your progress and step in with helpful tips where required. And they'll allow you to contact their team for advice whenever you need it.

At SemaPen, we go above and beyond to make sure our patients get the support they need. Our Mounjaro programme was designed by UK doctors and offers unparalleled access to weight loss experts.

With SemaPen, you get:

Tailored advice based on your results
Access to our experts through the SemaPen app, 24/7
A set of smart scales that deliver real-time updates on your progress to our team
Exclusive diet and lifestyle content
Automatic delivery of your next dose
Your money back if you don't lose at least 5% of your starting weight*

Why not learn more about our Mounjaro medication programme? Or, if you already know what you need, you can take our online consultation and find out instantly if you're eligible for treatment.

* Terms and conditions apply.

Sources

1. Jastreboff, A.M. et al. (2022) "Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity" New England Journal of Medicine, 387(3) https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

2. https://www.nice.org.uk/news/articles/consultation-on-nhs-england-proposals-for-a-phased-launch-of-obesity-injection

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