Close-up of Mounjaro injection pens lined up on a counter

What This Means for You

Private patients: From September, expect your pharmacy bill to be higher. How much depends on whether your pharmacy passes on the rebate, but no matter what, it’s an increase.

NHS patients: Your prescription sits under a separate agreement, so the list price hike shouldn’t directly change what you normally pay for an NHS prescription. That said, local supply pressures can still hit availability.

Everyone: If you can’t get your pen because of the pause or allocation limits, speak to your prescriber. Don’t try to stretch doses, skip weeks, or source meds online; it’s risky and could set you back.

Looking Ahead

This whole situation shows just how messy the global rollout of GLP-1s is. Prices are shifting, demand is through the roof, and supply chains are struggling to keep up.

For now, the key dates are simple:

1 September: New prices kick in and pharmacy orders reopen.

If you’re worried about affordability or supply, it’s worth having an early, honest chat with your prescriber. Some people may consider switching to Wegovy, but that’s not a decision to make on cost alone; suitability is clinical, not financial.

This isn’t the end of the road for GLP-1 access in the UK, but it is a bump in the road, and a pricey one. What matters most is that you stay safe, informed, and supported.

Everyone’s situation is different, so if you’re unsure how these changes affect you, always check with your prescribing professional.

References

Why Are Prices Rising?

Lilly told Reuters it launched Mounjaro in the UK at a lower price than in other European countries to speed up early access. Now it’s “bringing the UK in line” with the rest of Europe.

That might make business sense for them, but for patients paying privately, it feels like whiplash: overnight, a medication that was already expensive is set to cost twice as much.

The UK “Discount” That Isn’t Really a Discount

Yes, there’s technically a rebate. Pharmacies will pay less than the new list price, and in theory, they’ll pass that saving on to patients. But the numbers tell the story:

Old price (15 mg dose): £122
New list price (15 mg dose): £330
After rebate (Sky News): £247.50

Even with the rebate, that’s still more than double what patients have been paying up until now. So while headlines about “discounts” sound reassuring, in practice, it’s a steep hike.

The Supply Pause

Just to add to the stress, Lilly paused all UK shipments of Mounjaro in late August. According to Reuters, this was to prevent pharmacies from stockpiling at the lower price before the rise kicked in.

Orders will restart on 1 September, but with limits on how much each pharmacy can get. If you’ve struggled to collect your pen recently, this is why.

If you’re on Mounjaro right now, you’ve probably already heard whispers: the price is going up, and some pharmacies are even saying they can’t give it out at all. Let’s untangle what’s actually happening, why it matters, and what it means for you.

The Headlines in Plain English

Here’s the state of play, based on recent reporting from Reuters and Sky News:

From September, the UK list price of Mounjaro will rise by up to 170%, with the top dose jumping from about £122 to £330 for a month’s supply. (Reuters, 14 Aug 2025)

Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, temporarily paused shipments to UK pharmacies in late August, saying it was to prevent stockpiling before the price change. Orders reopen on 1 September, but with allocations in place. (Reuters, 27 Aug 2025)

Lilly has also introduced a rebate scheme that knocks some money off the new higher list price. According to Sky News, that means the top dose could sell for around £247.50 per month instead of £330. But here’s the catch: it’s still double what people were paying before.

Bite-Sized Podcasts

Listen to this article as audio