The UK Government, devolved nations and NHS England have signed a collaboration agreement with Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant behind weight loss medication tirzepatide.
The Government said the ‘strategic’ agreement will see Lilly investing a further £279m in the UK life sciences industry, in a bid to find new treatment models for major illnesses including obesity.
Lilly also said it will launch a UK-based real-world study into the effects of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) on patients who take the weight loss medication, which could inform the NHS pathway for treatment of obesity.
It will evaluate the real-world effectiveness of tirzepatide in weight loss, diabetes prevention and prevention of obesity-related complications for adults with obesity.
It will also collect data on healthcare resource utilisation, health-related quality of life and changes in participants’ employment status and sick days from work, the company said.
The Government said the memorandum of understanding with the company ‘aims to set the stage’ for Government ‘to work with industry to trial innovative approaches to treating obesity as part of a rounded package of care’.
Lilly said this could include digital tools that could support people living with obesity.
The MoU also includes Lilly aiming to undertake more of its clinical trials in the UK.
Subject to draft guidance being made permanent, tirzepatide is the first weight-loss drug recommended by NICE to be prescribed directly by GPs, for patients with a BMI over 35kg/m2 and one weight-related comorbidity.
However, NHS England recently wrote to NICE setting out proposed plans for a phased approach to the rollout of the drug in primary care, to ensure general practice was not overwhelmed.
NHS England said it would need longer than the 90 days usually required for health services to implement NICE guidelines because the impact on general practice would be ‘profound’.
It also wants to raise the threshold BMI to 40 for the first two or three years of the phased rollout.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: ‘Obesity is one of the biggest public health issues we face. Today’s momentous agreement shows the NHS is uniquely well-placed globally not just to bring effective treatments to those who would benefit most, but also to support science, research, jobs and economic growth across the country.
‘We now have an important chance to gain a better understanding of the benefits of weight management interventions for patients, and how best to deliver them over the next few years.’
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘For all the challenges facing the health of our nation, we have two huge advantages: some of the world’s leading scientific minds, and a National Health Service with enormous potential.
‘If we can combine the two, patients in this country can reap the rewards of the revolution in medical science unfolding before our eyes.
‘This announcement helps the UK take its place as a world leader in life sciences and brings life-changing treatments closer to being a reality for NHS patients. Partnerships like this are key to building a healthier society, healthier economy, and making the NHS fit for the future.’
According to NHS England calculations, around 2.8 million patients would be eligible for tirzepatide as draft NICE recommendations currently stand.
If everyone came forward and 70% of those were started on treatment around 18% of GP appointments would be taken up just initiating and managing the medicine, NHSE has predicted.
The cost of the medicine alone in the second year of use would come in around £2.9bn, equivalent to 28% of the entire primary care medicines budget, it added.
While the government’s proposal to offer weight-loss injections to unemployed people could improve health and employability for some individuals, we also need to consider concerns about individual responsibility, stigma, cost-effectiveness, and potential drug side effects. A comprehensive approach to tackling obesity requires addressing the root causes through a societal-wide approach, including social and economic factors, and promoting sustainable lifestyle changes alongside medical interventions such as drugs that promote weight loss.
Two things:
1. I really don’t like the behind-closed-doors deals NHSE does with drug manufacturers (edoxaban, inclisiran, tirzepatide etc). I like the clinical freedom to prescribe what is best and most appropriate for my patients, taking into account the cost, the safety and efficacy profile, and the acceptability to the patient. I don’t, for instance, want to blow my drug budget prescribing edoxaban just because some grubby deal has been done by the DOH. It’s rather like the argument that GPs should not meet with drug reps in case it influenced our prescribing – but on a national scale.
2. It seems NHSE has recognised that it will impact on GP workload – their own estimations suggest by 18% in year 2. I don’t want a gradual roll-out if we are expected to somehow incorporate it into core without additional funding. I want a properly-funded service from the very start, with proper and timely support from weight loss services wrapped around practices. If they expect an 18% increase in workload by year 2, we should either have a DES that increases our funding by 18%, or an increase of 18% into core. If neither is forthcoming, GPC need to say ‘no.’
So Lilly pay in £279m.
And for that they’ll make about 10x as offloading £2.9b worth of overpriced “Turpitude” to the NHS by the 2nd year. And they’ll have patients addicted to this wt loss “solution” over the lifetime of the patent which’ll be worth further £billions. That’s a spectacular return for their investment!
And then Lilly also get access to gold-mine NHS patient data “for research study purposes” which will be worth further £millions when monetised.
Doesn’t seem like a good deal to me especially when the approach to obesity management shouldn’t be topdown but low-cost bottom up.
This Govt is continuing economic policy that’s hostage to corporate interests, not patient or NHS interests.
We wont be prescribing in primary care, as there is no evidence it works.
And, there are no commissioned services in the area to provide this either. Its a non-starter
Nothing has been learnt from NHSE’s edoxaban fiasco.
Further into the abyss of insanity ……. an annual cost of £2.9 billion & 28% of the entire primary care medications budget which
‘in-the-real world’ context will not likely result in any practical differences in the percentages of the obese.