Tirzepatide can help people to lose weight alongside a calorie-controlled diet and a more active daily lifestyle.
At first, only people with the highest medical need will be able to be prescribed tirzepatide on the NHS, in line with national NHS England guidance. It will be available for a small number of people whose body mass index is 40 or more (or 37.5 or more if the person is from a higher risk ethnic background*) and who have been diagnosed with four or more specific obesity-related health conditions.
Tirzepatide for weight loss will be available for patients in Hertfordshire and west Essex through a new service which is currently being set up by Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB). This service will provide access to tirzepatide injections as part of a nine-month healthy lifestyle programme.
Although the new service has not yet launched, GPs or other healthcare professionals can now start a discussion with potentially eligible patients about using tirzepatide as part of their overall weight-loss journey and refer eligible patients.
Referrals will be reviewed by a dedicated team from the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board to confirm referrals are in line with the NHS England guidance. The team will share details of eligible referred patients with the new tirzepatide prescribing service once it goes live. The new service will advise if tirzepatide is the most appropriate option for a patient based on a full clinical assessment and discussion with the patient.
GPs or healthcare professionals will not be able to prescribe tirzepatide directly. Patients will only be able to access it through the new service.
Eligibility
NHS England has decided that to be considered for tirzepatide, people must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40* or more and have at least four of the five related health conditions below. These are:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension) — requiring treatment with medication
- Heart and blood vessel disease (cardiovascular disease) — such as ischaemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, or peripheral vascular disease. (This does not include conditions such as atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease.)
- Obstructive sleep apnoea — confirmed by a sleep study and requiring treatment, such as CPAP.
- High cholesterol or triglycerides) — usually based on blood test results or if you take medication like statins.
* If you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds your body mass index (BMI) should be 37.5 or more.
Patients who are not eligible or suitable for tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) may be able to access other weight management services and support.