A spike in sales of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro has led to a shortage at major pharmacies, including high street firms Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy and Superdrug.
The surge in demand comes after Eli Lilly, which manufactures Mounjaro, announced it was to increase the price of the medication in the UK by 170 per cent from September.
It means a monthâs supply of the highest dose of the drug will rise from ÂŁ122 to ÂŁ330.
On social media, many users have said they are stockpiling the drugs to avoid the initial price hike, despite a warning by Eli Lilly and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) not to bulk order.
The situation has left many pharmacies feeling the impact.
On Wednesday, Superdrug said it was out of stock for Mounjaro âdue to a national shortageâ on its website. In a statement to The Independent, the company said: ââWe are currently working hard to fulfil all the orders that have been placed for Mounjaro, and we hope to be able to start accepting new customer orders next week.
âDue to extremely high demand nationwide, we are experiencing delays with stock of Mounjaro. To ensure continuity of care, we are prioritising the medication orders of existing Superdrug patients who are currently using our weight-loss services.â
Lloyds Pharmacy said on its website that it was out of stock for new prescribers of the higher dosage pens of 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg, while Boots Online Doctor showed it did not have 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg or 15mg pens available.
Users typically start on a weekly dosage of 2.5mg as part of a weight-loss plan, before increasing to higher dosages.
Well Pharmacy, which is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the UK, said its supply of Mounjaro âhas been intermittentâ from wholesalers due to the increase in demand.
The companyâs clinical product and innovation manager, Mital Thakrar, told The Independent: âWe are working hard with our wholesalers and manufacturers to maintain stock supply across Well stores, and we currently remain in stock of Mounjaro.â
The situation has also impacted online pharmacies.
Pharmacy 2U said it had seen a âsignificant short-term surgeâ following the announcement of the rise in price, but that the spike had calmed and it was prioritising existing patients.
Simple Online Pharmacy said it had paused selling Mounjaro to new patients, while also restricting sales to a four-week supply per patient to stop bulk buying. It said it had âadequateâ supply across all dosages to meet repeat prescriptions.
The pharmacy said it had also seen more people ordering rival weight-loss drug Wegovy, which is a cheaper alternative. Patients switching to Wegovy, which costs from ÂŁ85 a month, are advised to take a weekâs break between the two products.
Last week, sales of Wegovy at one weight-loss supplier soared 2,600 per cent following the Mounjaro price hike.
Abdal Alvi, chief clinical officer at Simple Online Healthcare, said the pharmacy had seen demand for all GLP-1 medications, which include Wegovy and Mounjaro, rise by 400 per cent since the price rise news.
The increase in demand has led to concerns in the pharmacy industry, including at the NPA, which said it was aware of wholesalers âcapping or preventing orders for higher dosesâ ahead of the price increase.
Chair Olivier Picard added that bulk buying could have a âsignificant impactâ on supply, while also posing a potential risk to patient safety through a possible lack of regular checks by the seller as part of the weight-loss management.
He urged patients to avoid unlicensed sellers, who could sell fake medication that does not meet UK safety standards.
Mr Picard, who runs his own pharmacy, said: âThe situation is dire at the moment. I have had patients from online pharmacies and other brick and mortar pharmacies coming in, phoning around, asking âHave you got it? I need a supply and my supplier has no stock.â
âI think the wholesalers have been completely overwhelmed with demand of people trying to buy Mounjaro.â
Eli Lilly said it had allocations in place for providers that order stock from it, which it said helped manage supply and ensure patient access.
A spokesperson told The Independent: âThere are legal protections in place, enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to prevent inappropriate stockpiling of medicines by providers.
âWe encourage patients to only order based on their current treatment plan, to reduce the risk of localised disruption.â
The companyâs decision to raise the price reflected efforts to more closely align prices with its other European markets, along with political pressure from US president Donald Trump to keep pharmaceutical prices low for Americans.
