A rush to buy Mounjaro has left many British patients struggling to purchase the weight loss drug. 

On 1st September, US manufacturer Eli Lilly will significantly increase the price of the drug. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, TRT World Presenter Enda Brady explained this has led to stockpiling by many panicking patients. 

“The largest dose you can get of this weightloss jab Monjaro in the UK, 15 milligrams, it was costing £122 per month,” he said. 

“That’s for your 15mg dose - the highest dose available. 

“Under Trump’s plans, he’s putting pressure on the manufacturers, an American pharmaceutical company called Eli Lilly. 

“Your £122 a month will now be £330 a month - so, you’re looking at a price rise of 170%.” 

A prescriptions counter at a pharmacy. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr Brady described the new price as an “awful lot of money”, but added the company had little choice after the Trump Administration threatened drug companies. 

“It’s all part of what Trump calls Most Favored Nation drug pricing,” he said. 

“His argument is, ‘Why are people in America paying a lot more for this?’ and he has called Europeans ‘freeloaders’.”  

High demand

In 2023, the British Government estimated that 64% of British adults were overweight or obese. 

Since then, weight loss drugs have surged in popularity and an estimated 1.5 million Britons are currently taking Mounjaro. 

The price rise had led many customers to turn to the black market. 

“You need to be very, very aware of buying this online because what you may be getting may absolutely not be Monjaro or its rival Ozempic - which is made by a Danish company under the brand name Wegovy,” Mr Brady warned. 

“So, 1.5 million people in the UK taking these weightloss jabs and as of September 1st, unless something happens… they will be paying significantly more for it.” 

A woman in a pharmacy. Picture by: Alamy.com

Mr Brady added that it is not just patients who have been stockpiling, as pharmacies have also been bulkbuying in recent months. 

“They read the news like the rest of us, they watch the TV and they listen to the radio,” he said. 

“They’ve known full well that Trump had the pharma industry in his sights. 

“So, big pharma company suppliers over here in the UK have been stockpiling.” 

NHS prices remain unchanged - but most Mounjaro patients are only entitled to a private prescription.

Main image: A Mounjaro weight loss pen. Picture by: Alamy.com.