Thousands to receive brand new weight loss jab
08.09.2023 - 08:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Hundreds of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes are expected to benefit from a brand new weight loss jab.
Tizepatide, also known as Mounjaro, has been green-lighted for NHS use and could help around 180,000 people. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it can help those who don't have the condition under control.
The jab should reportedly be prescribed to patients who are unable to tolerate metformin - the first-line defence medicine for type 2 diabetes - and should be taken alongside diet and exercise. NHS patients are expected to begin receiving the jab early next year, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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There are 4.3 million people in the UK living with the condition, of which 90 per cent are type 2, according to Diabetes UK. The charity believes that an additional 850,000 people are not diagnosed.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “There are very few new medicines being developed to treat difficult-to-manage type 2 diabetes. Our committee recognised the potential tirzepatide has to provide an effective and good value treatment option for all those living with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.”
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A report published in June said Nice “recognised the importance of new treatment options” but “more evidence is needed on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the drug before it is recommended for NHS use”.
The latest guidance said clinical trials showed the drug "resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar levels and body weight compared with semaglutide, insulin therapy or a placebo". Nice