The Weight Loss Injection

From 23/6/25 NHS England is making available Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) for a limited + restricted number of patients who meet specific eligibility criteria (defined by the local Integrated Care Board).

Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, is a weekly injection that was initially licensed to help treat type 2 diabetes but can now also be prescribed to help those with obesity lose weight.

The criteria for prescribing the injection is:

A BMI of 40 or over (or 37.5 from a minority ethnic background)

AND living with FOUR of the five following conditions:

Type 2 diabetes

High blood pressure

Heart and vascular disease

High cholesterol

Obstructive sleep apnoea

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will NOT be able to access the injection on the NHS.

We would like to avoid booking unnecessary appointments for patients that do not qualify, as this would block access to patients that are unwell and need to be seen by a doctor. Therefor our reception team will need to ask a series of questions to check if you could be eligible.

If you do not have a BMI above 40 and four of the conditions above your GP will not be able to prescribe you weight loss injections. (Based on the current guidance).

All info is available here:https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/media/10wo5a20/hwto-patient-prioritisation-guideline-002.pdf

Only contact your GP surgery when you are eligible for this treatment. GP’s are not able to deviate from the set restrictions.