Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the weight maintenance drug Tirzepatide will be available on the NHS.

Tirzepatide is not yet licensed in the United Kingdom for any condition and therefore not routinely available to National Health Service patients in England. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops evidence-based guidance for the NHS on whether medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE is currently appraising tirzepatide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and expects to publish final guidance in April 2023. If recommended and granted a licence by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, clinicians could prescribe tirzepatide to eligible NHS patients, in line with NICE’s recommendations.