Weight Loss Injections

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) Prescribing Status:

• Currently not available for prescribing in any setting for weight management in Greater Manchester.

• Primary care prescribing will start once the local Primary Care Model is finalised (expected from September 2025).

• Specialist Weight Management Services (SWMS) are preparing to prescribe once governance and training are in place.

• Secondary care (outside SWMS) cannot prescribe tirzepatide for weight management at this time.

Eligibility & Prioritisation:

• NHS England funding for 2025/26 will cover around 700 patients, but Greater Manchester has identified 4,000 eligible patients.

• Prioritisation is by BMI subgroup within Cohort 1 (patients with ≥4 qualifying comorbidities):

  • 1a: BMI ≥50 (or ≥47.5 adjusted for ethnicity) – first priority

  • 1b: BMI ≥45 (or ≥42.5) – second priority

  • 1c: BMI ≥40 (or ≥37.5) – third priority

Implementation Support:

• A range of materials and clinical pathways have been developed to support rollout.

• A prior approval process via Blueteq will ensure prescribing follows eligibility criteria.

Additional Information:

• Tirzepatide is under additional monitoring (Black Triangle medicine). Side effects should be reported via the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme.

• Caution advised for patients with history of pancreatitis.

• Further resources include NHS weight management programmes and NICE prescribing guides.

Next Steps:

• Locality delivery models to be confirmed by mid-August 2025.

• A webinar for GPs and primary care providers is planned for early September to discuss prescribing and service delivery.

It has been advertised you can get the Weight Loss Jabs on the NHS.

Calculations say that there will be 220,000 patients UK wide that will qualify.

Statistically that means from the approximately 10,000 patients registered at Greenbank only around 30 will qualify and some of those might already be on weight loss medication.

Access to general practice is difficult and resources are limited, therefore we would like very much to avoid booking unnecessary appointments for patients that do not qualify for Mounjaro injections, as this would block access to patients that are unwell and need to be seen by a doctor.

The criteria to qualify is as follows:

•BMI of 40 or more (you need your Weight and Height to find out your BMI) it will be checked at the appointment to confirm is above 40 if it is not above 40 please do not book an appointment

If BMI is above 40 then you will also need to have been diagnosed with four of the following five criteria

1. Diagnosed hypertension

2.Diagnosed sleep apnoea

3.Diagnosed type 2 diabetes

4.Diagnosed cardiovascular disease

5.Diagnosed hypercholesterolemia

If you do not have a BMI above 40 and four of the conditions above your GP will not be able to prescribe you Mounjaro for weight loss. (Based on the current guidance). Hence, we request that appointments are not booked for this purpose.

We will update our patients as soon as new guidance becomes available. In the meantime, if you have questions about weight management, please speak to one of our clinicians or visit the NHS weight loss support page 

Please see https://gmintegratedcare.org.uk/weight-management-in-greater-manchester/ for further details. 

Thank you for your understanding.