Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the NHS eligibility criteria for tirzepatide on levels of access to treatment for people (a) with obesity and (b) who do not meet the current BMI threshold but may still be at clinical risk from excess weight.

The eligibility criteria for tirzepatide, under brand name Mounjaro, for the management of weight have been set independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) following a full appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of the drug. NICE’s recommendations are based on the best available evidence and ensure that National Health Service treatments are targeted at those most likely to benefit, while also protecting the overall affordability and sustainability of NHS services.

In line with NICE guidance and recommendations, the NHS in England is undertaking a phased roll out. This is based on prioritisation led by clinical need. Patient eligibility will increase in stages, up to approximately 220,000 patients after the first three years, as outlined in NHS England's Interim Commissioning Guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interim-commissioning-guidance-implementation-of-the-nice-technology-appraisal-ta1026-and-the-nice-funding-variation-for-tirzepatide-mounjaro-for-the-management-of-obesity/

The total eligible population should have access within the maximum period of 12 years but, as part of the rollout plans, the NHS will look at different service models, including digital and community options. New approaches might enable access to be expanded more quickly. Progress will be reviewed in three years. NHS England is actively monitoring uptake and service readiness to inform future decisions.

In addition, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambition to build on these plans by testing innovative models of delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients. On 12 August we announced an £85 million competition to fund the design and delivery of new community and primary care weight management pathways to support access to interventions such as weight loss medications. We expect tens of thousands of patients to directly benefit from increased access to interventions, such as GLP-1s. This will generate new evidence to inform the future commissioning and rollout of tirzepatide.

Patients who do not meet the current body mass index threshold for tirzepatide under the NHS prioritisation approach will not be eligible for receiving tirzepatide. However, they do have access to other weight management support, if they are eligible. This could include the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme, and other services that may be available locally.