Mounjaro price hike fuels UK pharmacy battle to retain customers

(Adobe Stock)

United Kingdom-based users of the Mounjaro obesity shot will be spared the full impact of maker Eli Lilly and Co.’s price increase as some pharmacies opt to shield customers—at least for now.

Zava, a telehealth firm being acquired by Hims & Hers Health Inc., said this week it raised prices for the highest Mounjaro dose by 55% to £309.99 ($418)—below the new list price of £330 ($446). The second-highest dose is also lower.

Lilly announced this month it would raise the weight-loss treatment’s price by as much as 170%, presenting pharmacies with a dilemma about how much they would pass on to patients. Actual prices paid by distributors and the state-run National Health Service are typically lower due to confidential deals.

Just as in other countries, demand for obesity drugs is booming in the U.K., with about a fifth of adults seeking out the medications in the past year, according to a survey by polling company Savanta conducted in June.

U.K. users face a tangle of competing offers. Pharmacy2U, an online pharmacy, said it will freeze prices on its current stock “for as long as it lasts”—but only for existing customers at the higher doses. It will accept new patients for all doses from Sept. 1, though it has not set new pricing, it said.

Pharmacy2U said it has seen new patient registrations from Mounjaro users seeking to switch providers. Another supplier, Superdrug Online Doctor, said it was out of Mounjaro stock due to a “national shortage.”

There are other quirks facing customers. For example, Mounjaro prices at Asda Online Doctor, which partners with Zava and dispenses drugs by post or via pharmacies in Asda supermarkets, are slightly cheaper than going to Zava itself.

Not all pharmacies are trying to undercut the list price.

Boots Online Doctor’s pricing from Sept. 1 is slightly higher at £335 ($452) for the top dose, though new customers qualify for a welcome offer. A message on the company’s customer hotline on Friday warned of a waiting time of up to 60 minutes due to inquiries about the Mounjaro price increase.

Still, Boots’ and other companies’ Mounjaro marketing underscores the flipside of Lilly’s move: an opportunity for Novo Nordisk A/S’s competing shot Wegovy. A “Switch to Wegovy” saves £129 ($174) for the highest dose, according to Boots.