Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is not currently available anywhere in Greater Manchester, including GP practices, hospitals, or specialist weight management services.

Please do not contact your GP to request it — you’ll be contacted directly if you’re eligible when the service becomes available in your area.

We expect pilot services may begin in some areas in summer 2025, with wider rollout taking more time.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will be introduced in stages over three years:

Year 1 (2025)

• Adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, and
• Four or more weight-related health conditions (see list below)

Year 2

• Adults with a BMI between 35 and 39.9, and
• Four or more weight-related health conditions

Year 3

• Adults with a BMI of 40 or more, and
• Three or more weight-related health conditions

Adjusted criteria for certain ethnic backgrounds

For people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, BMI thresholds are 2.5 units lower, due to a higher risk of health problems at lower body weights.

To be eligible, you must have four or more of the following health conditions (or three in Year 3). All conditions must be confirmed by a healthcare professional.

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Heart disease caused by narrowed or blocked arteries (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease)
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia)

The NHS needs time to safely introduce this new service, train healthcare staff, and manage demand.

A staged rollout allows those with the greatest clinical need to be prioritised first and ensures safe and sustainable delivery.

Wraparound care is the name given to the support programme that must be provided alongside tirzepatide (Mounjaro®).

This includes:

• Advice on healthy eating and nutrition.
• Support to increase physical activity.
• Help with making long-term lifestyle changes.

You must agree to take part in this support programme in order to be prescribed tirzepatide (Mounjaro®)

Standard NHS prescription charges apply, unless you’re exempt (e.g. with a medical exemption certificate).

We’re developing a new model of care to provide access to tirzepatide ( Mounjaro®) through GP practices, with community pharmacy also being considered

• We’re making sure GPs and other services are trained and ready to support and safely prescribe this new medication.
• We’re mapping out all weight management services available in Greater Manchester to help people  find the right support for their needs.

While tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) is not yet available, there are still many ways to get support:

1. NHS Better Health

NHS Better Health offers advice, tools, and support to help you eat better, move more, and lose weight.

2. NHS Digital Weight Management Programme

If you have obesity and either diabetes or high blood pressure or both, you may be able to join this free  online programme that helps with weight loss.

Ask your GP or local community pharmacy about being referred.

3. Let’s get moving – cycling

Support is available to get cycling and get walking 

You can also visit Greater Manchester Walking to find local walking groups.

The SURMOUNT-REAL UK study was announced in October 2024 and the study partners are currently working through the study set up. How patients will be recruited to the study is still to be determined. The study will commence in late 2025, subject to relevant approvals.

The weight loss medicine tirzepatide also known as Mounjaro ® is a GLP-1/GIP agonist. Other medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy ®), liraglutide (Saxenda ®), are known as GLP-1 agonists. They mimic gut hormones released by the body after eating, telling the brain you are full, they also slow down the time it takes the stomach to empty and help control blood sugar levels.

Until now most of these medicines have been used in the NHS to treat diabetes, to help control blood sugar levels helping improve diabetes and other health conditions.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional alongside programmes that support people to lose weight and live healthier lives, by making changes to their diet and physical activity. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) is an injection, that you inject yourself once a week.

More information can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Like all medications, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) can cause side effects and healthcare professionals should discuss the side-effects with you. The medication will come with a Patient Information Leaflet which lists common side effects including:

• feeling sick
• indigestion (heartburn)
• constipation

There can be some more serious side effects, such as low blood sugar, gallstones and inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) is a new medication, so any side effects should be reported through the Yellow Card Scheme, which is the government system used for recording side effects with medicines in the UK.

NICE guidance recommends if you do not lose enough weight (5%) after 6 months of being on the highest dose you can manage, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) should be stopped. This is because the medication is not working as well as it should be for you.

Currently there is no specified time limit for being prescribed tirzepatide (Mounjaro®). The decision to continue or stop tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) should not be taken during pregnancy or just before trying to get pregnant. This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine can cause harm to the baby.

There is specific information about how these medications affect contraceptive methods, like the pill. The Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Health has produced an information leaflet for patients to read called “Patient Information GLP1 agonists and contraception”.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) can affect the absorption of other medications being taken. In some cases, this may affect how well and/or how fast those medications work; or it may make no difference. For this reason it is particularly important that patients receive follow up care and advice from a healthcare professional. This medication is still relatively new, and the healthcare community are learning about how tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) interacts with other medications, for example HRT.

Before starting the medicine, a healthcare professional will check which other medications you are taking to see if there may be any medicine interactions and to see if they are compatible when taken together. While taking the medicine, some people may find that their long-term health conditions (like high blood pressure) improve, and they might need less medication. Your healthcare professional will talk to you about this, any monitoring that might need to happen and make any necessary changes to your treatment.

It is important to be honest with the healthcare professional if you are eligible for the medication. Let them know about any medical conditions, other medicines you are taking, the dose and if you buy any medication over the counter. This information will need to be considered before you are prescribed tirzepatide (Mounjaro®).

Patients can continue taking tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) if they are prescribed it by the NHS to manage their diabetes. If you have any questions, contact a suitable healthcare professional. If patients are using tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) bought privately, they may be able to access the medication through an NHS prescription if they meet the NHS qualifying criteria at the point of transition. It is important your GP is aware you are taking tirzepatide (Mounjaro®), if it hasn’t been prescribed by the NHS, as it may impact on your health and any other treatments you are having or may need.

A healthcare professional will determine if it is appropriate for you to receive tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) as part of your care in a different care setting (for example, through primary care).