By Maggie Fick

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s drugs cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE said on Thursday it will recommend Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Mounjaro be made available to around 220,000 people in the country via the state health system over the next three years.

Mounjaro launched in the UK in February but has been available only for those paying out-of-pocket mainly through online pharmacies.

NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is recommending Mounjaro, alongside diet and exercise changes, for people with at least one weight-related condition, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight, of more than 35.

The eligibility guidelines for BMI of more than 35 and a weight-related condition are the same as those issued by NICE in March 2023 for Wegovy, the obesity medication made by rival drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

The guidelines mean that about 3.4 million people in England could be eligible to receive Mounjaro through the state-run National Health Service (NHS). Initially, in the first three-year period, those with the highest clinical need will be prioritised, it said.

During those first three years, about 220,000 people are expected to receive the medicine, and NICE will review the situation again within that time.

NICE expects to publish its final guidance on Dec. 23 if no appeals are lodged before then, it said. The first NHS patients will be able to start receiving Mounjaro 90 days after the guidance is published if they are already treated at a specialist NHS weight management service, or from 180 days after if they are not treated in the specialist service, it said.

The criteria means that around 3.4 million people will be eligible to be treated, and therefore the roll out “has to be carefully managed to ensure healthcare professionals can continue to meet the full range of health needs of all their patients”, NICE said.

Mounjaro is part of a class of medicines known as GLP-1 analogues originally developed to help control blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes but also found to suppress appetite and promote a feeling of fullness. Mounjaro led to an average weight loss of nearly 23% in clinical trials.

Nearly one in three adults are obese in Britain, the highest rate in Europe, according to a 2019 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report. That is above the European Union average of 16.5%, according to EU statistics.

Lilly said in a statement that it welcomed NICE’s recommendation and understood that it will require a phased rollout.

(Reporting by Maggie Fick)