Eli Lilly will raise the UK price of its Mounjaro weight-loss drug by up to 170% from September, after pressure from US President Donald Trump for pharmaceutical companies to increase overseas prices to help lower costs for American patients.
The US drugmaker said it was acting to address “pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries” and would align the UK list price more closely with the European average.
From 1 September, the price of a Mounjaro injection pen – containing four doses – will rise from between £92 and £122 to between £133 and £330, depending on dosage. The increase applies to private providers, which are likely to pass on higher costs to patients.
The move comes days after Mr Trump wrote to pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca and GSK, demanding they “negotiate harder with foreign freeloading nations” and ensure “increased revenues abroad are repatriated” to benefit US patients.
Eli Lilly said the UK had previously enjoyed prices “significantly below the European average” and that new clinical evidence supported the value of Mounjaro. The company added it had reached an agreement with the NHS “to ensure continued supply and patient access”, though NHS pricing remains confidential and is typically lower than private rates.
Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, is available through GPs on the NHS to patients with a BMI over 40 and at least four specified health conditions, including type 2 diabetes. Private eligibility starts at a BMI of 30.
The price rise is expected to fuel concerns of a broader wave of higher medicine costs in Britain following a recent UK-US trade agreement in which ministers agreed the NHS would review drug pricing in line with US concerns.
Sir Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, has previously said he supports “price equalisation” between countries, arguing that the US currently pays too much for medicines.
An NHS England spokesperson said the approved list price increase “will not affect NHS commissioning” of Mounjaro for eligible patients, but advised those with private prescriptions to check with their provider.