The 2025 Mounjaro NHS rollout: what you need to know
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A select few patients in England can now access Mounjaro on the NHS. Learn what the rollout means for you.
On Monday 23 June 2025, the NHS began offering Mounjaro to a select few patients in England. Mounjaro is a prescription weight loss medication that you take once each week as an injection.
Mounjaro has been available in the UK as a weight loss treatment since November 2023 – but only through private prescribers like SemaPen. Monday's rollout marks the first time the drug has been made available through the NHS.
In this guide, we cover the key details you need to know about Mounjaro and how the NHS rollout will work.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a type of drug called a 'GLP-1 agonist' or 'incretin mimetic'. It works by mimicking natural hormones involved in digestion, blood sugar control and making you feel full after eating.
When you take Mounjaro, you can expect to:
- Feel full after eating smaller portions
- Keep that full feeling for longer
- Have a smaller appetite
- Experience fewer food cravings
On average, people who take Mounjaro lose 21% of their starting body weight.¹ For the treatment to be effective, you must also eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly.
Like any drug, Mounjaro can also cause unwanted side effects. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal (stomach) upsets like nausea, vomiting and constipation. You can learn more in our guide to the side effects of weight loss drugs.
Who can take Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a prescription-only drug. This means you must have a medical consultation before you're allowed to use it. If Mounjaro is suitable for you, a medical professional can write a prescription that lets you purchase or receive the drug.
Mounjaro is available on private prescription to people:
- With a BMI of 30 or more (BMI is a measure of body fat)
- With a BMI of 27 or more, plus a weight-related health condition
These aren't the only criteria, though. Depending on your medical history and the drugs you're already taking, your doctor might conclude that the drug isn't right for you.
How will the Mounjaro NHS rollout work?
NHS England is rolling out Mounjaro in phases. During this first phase, the drug will only be available to around 220,000 patients in England.
That might sound like a lot of people. However, when you consider how many people could benefit from the drug, it's really a very small amount.
It's estimated that around 29% of the England population is living with obesity.² That works out to around 13 million people. So, while the NHS rollout is a positive step, it means that less than 2% of those 13 million will be eligible for treatment.
The first phase of the rollout will last three years. NHS England says it plans to make the drug more widely available in the long term. During the first phase, however, it's focusing on providing treatment to those who most need it while balancing NHS time and resources.
H3: Who can get Mounjaro on the NHS?
During the first phase of the Mounjaro NHS rollout, the drug will only be available to people
- with a BMI of 40 or more
- who also have four out of a list of five long-term weight-related health conditions.
These conditions are type 2 diabetes, heart and vascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obstructive sleep apnoea.
At least during the first phase, the drug will only be available from specialised NHS weight loss clinics.
H3: What if I'm not eligible for NHS treatment?
Since the NHS is restricting how many people can access Mounjaro, it's unlikely that you'll be eligible for treatment during this first phase.
However, that doesn't mean there's no way to get hold of the medication. Mounjaro remains available through private prescribers like SemaPen.
Our Mounjaro weight loss programme is designed by UK experts and is available to most people with a BMI of 30 or more.
Plus, when you join SemaPen, you unlock a host of benefits to help you meet your weight loss goals. That includes a smart body scale that tracks your weight – and tailored guidance from some of the UK's leading obesity experts.
Are you ready to take the next step in your weight loss journey? While NHS availability remains restrictive, you'll almost certainly get there faster with SemaPen. Simply take our online consultation to find out whether Mounjaro is right for you.
Sources
1. Jastreboff, A.M. et al. (2022) "Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity" The New England Journal of Medicine, 387(3) https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
2. Stiebahl, S. (2025) "Obesity statistics" House of Commons Library https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN03336/SN03336.pdf
This article was reviewed and approved by Lujain Alhassan, Bariatric Nutritionist, and Alice Fletcher, Lead Bariatric Dietitian, on 7 July 2025.
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