LONDON (Reuters) -Eli Lilly will raise the list price in the UK of its weight-loss and type 2 diabetes treatment Mounjaro by 170% to be in line with other European markets, the U.S. drugmaker said on Thursday.
Lilly launched Mounjaro in the UK in February last year, while rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy treatment has been available in the country since September 2023.
The new price is effective from September. The price for a month’s supply of the highest dose of the medicine will increase from £122 to £330, Lilly said.
In the UK, mirroring dynamics elsewhere, especially in the United States, Lilly challenged Novo’s first-mover advantage swiftly after launching. By late 2024, Mounjaro sales outstripped those of Wegovy in the booming online pharmacy market for the medicines, Reuters reported at the time.
Lilly said in a statement that when it launched Mounjaro in Britain, it agreed to a list price “significantly below” that in its three other European markets to prevent delays in availability of the medicine through Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
A list price, not typically made public, is set by the drug manufacturer before any rebates or discounts. In the UK, it is agreed between the company and the government, and applies to both the private market and the NHS.
“We are now aligning the list price more consistently,” Lilly said, adding that it had simultaneously reached an agreement with the NHS to ensure continued supply and access. Lilly did not give further details.
The NHS said the price increase would not affect its commissioning of the medicine for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes receiving it through the state-run health service.
Mounjaro and Wegovy are highly effective weight-loss medicines from the GLP-1 drug class. Soaring demand has propelled both Lilly and Novo to record profits.
But Novo has recently come under pressure. Citing market competition, it ousted its CEO in May and issued a profit warning last month that triggered a $70 billion share rout.
(Reporting by Maggie FickEditing by Christina Fincher)
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