Weight loss jab Mounjaro 'game changer', says GP

A GP has told the BBC that patients have already enquiring about prescriptions for the "game changer" weight loss drug Mounjaro, after it became available at surgeries in England earlier this week.

Dr Rachel Ward, who is a doctor in Didcot, Oxfordshire, said most people who had been in touch were ineligible for the jabs under strict under NHS guidelines.

The weekly injection makes you feel full so you eat less, and can help people lose 20% of their body weight.

Rebecca Clapcott, from Christchurch in Dorset, accesses the injection privately and said it had been "like some sort of magic".

Ms Clapcott, whose mother died of obesity related health issues, said she had always previously overeaten - partly due to her ADHD.

"For me its a constant food noise that goes on in the back of my head - my whole life, I've never been able to wait till I'm hungry," she said.

"I know what's healthy to eat, I know a body doesn't need however many calories I was eating, but I was unable to stop myself."

"For whatever reason, Mounjaro has stopped that."

The mum of four said she had lost about three stone (19kg) since starting on the injections four months ago.

She said it "doesn't make you lose weight", but "gives you a willpower of iron".

Dr Ward, who lives in Newbury, said: "I have got many patients who have been really really successful [using Mounjaro] - people who have struggled with their weight all of their life and it has really been an absolute game changer for them."

The GP warned that "unfortunately" very few people would meet the criteria to receive a prescription for the jab on the NHS.

People with a BMI of 40 or over (or 37.5 if from a minority ethnic background) and who suffer from four out of five weight related conditions are currently eligible.

"Already we had people contacting us about getting Mounjaro via their GP, who are not qualifying," Dr Ward said.

The jab could be an "opportunity to turn your lifestyle around" she said, adding: "Don't just think that you're going to be able to use the drug and make no other changes, because it wont work in the long term."

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