Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) use for weight loss
A message from Integrated Care Board (ICB) - Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Tirzepatide, commonly known as Mounjaro®, is a new medication recently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for some adults living with obesity.
Access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) through your GP practice
You may have seen in the media that from 23 June 2025 some GP practices can begin offering tirzepatide (Mounjaro®). This does not mean the medicine will be prescribed straight away or available immediately.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) will initially be offered by some NHS GPs in a staged rollout. In the first year, it will only be offered to people with a BMI of 40 or more (or 37.5 in certain ethnic groups) who are also managing four or more health conditions – These are, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol) and cardiovascular disease. These need to be diagnosed by a healthcare professional.
This priority patient group has been nationally set and has been focused to support people facing the greatest risk of, or who are experiencing, severe ill health due to obesity.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) must be prescribed as part of a support programme, also known as wraparound care. This includes advice on healthy eating, physical activity, and lifestyle changes. You must agree to take part in this support to receive the medication.
Requesting tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) for weight loss
We know that many people are asking about tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) after hearing about how effective it can be in helping with weight loss.
As your Integrated Care Board (ICB), and following national guidance, we must make sure treatments are used fairly and within the budget we have available for our population.
We appreciate that this might feel frustrating, especially when private options are being advertised.
Please do not contact your GP surgery to request tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) for weight loss. We are working with GP surgeries across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to support them to be able to offer tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) to priority patient groups.
GP surgeries will contact priority patients to invite them to make an appointment to find out more.
For more information about tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, please see the frequently asked questions below.
For now, we ask that you do not contact your GP surgery to try and obtain tirzepatide for weight loss.
If you are eligible, then the practice will be in touch with patients directly (as the service is still being developed).
If you are not contacted in the next few months, then unfortunately you do not currently qualify. It's likely that in time more patients will become eligible as the criteria is rolled out - this is set nationally and beyond our control.
FAQs
We hope the following FAQs are helpful. We will update these FAQs as more information about access to tirzepatide becomes available.