Mounjaro 7.5mg Kwikpen temporary non-availability

[John Gray]

Those of us who have progressed , each time after a month of usage, from the Mounjaro 2.5mg Kwikpen to the 5mg Kwikpen, will not be impressed to know that the follow-up 7.5mg (and perhaps the larger doses: 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg?) Kwikpen is not yet available from Eli Lilly.
Their helpdesk "has no information about its availability".
This is after ten weeks from the introduction of Mounjaro...

 

[John Gray]

Lilly Medical Information says:
"Many thanks for your return email regarding Mounjaro® (tirzepatide). Mounjaro 7.5mg and the other higher doses will be made available in the coming months."
So what should those due to move onto the 7.5mg KwikPen do?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m going to feed this back to the Information team and see if they have any updates.

If it’s 7.5mg you need, could you have a 5 and a 2.5 mg at the same time?

 

[Lucyr]

Lilly Medical Information says:
"Many thanks for your return email regarding Mounjaro® (tirzepatide). Mounjaro 7.5mg and the other higher doses will be made available in the coming months."
So what should those due to move onto the 7.5mg KwikPen do?

I’d assume you’d speak to your medical team for advice and they will prescribe an appropriate alternative eg staying on 5

 

[John Gray]

I’m going to feed this back to the Information team and see if they have any updates.
If it’s 7.5mg you need, could you have a 5 and a 2.5 mg at the same time?

That's true - but that would probably cost the NHS getting on for £500 a month (at retail prices!) for the two pens instead of ~£250 a month (since the cost of the pens does not increase significantly for higher doses).

It really does seem utterly irresponsible for the manufacturer to begin patients on the starting dose knowing full well that the higher doses will not be available for a significant time when they are needed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It really does seem utterly irresponsible for the manufacturer to begin patients on the starting dose knowing full well that the higher doses will not be available for a significant time when they are needed.

It is pretty scandalous when you put it like that 😱

 

[John Gray]

From my local Community Diabetes Service:
"We are informing our patients that they will only currently increase to the 5mg of Mounjaro as the higher doses are not yet available in this country.
We are seeing great results from the 5mg doses, so for some patients that will be enough, and 5mg is a maintenance dose.
I would suggest you continue on the 5mg, and if you are needing further improvement in the future and the 7.5mg is available then speak again to the GP."

To add to this saga, it seems that the 5mg Mounjaro KwikPens are not currently available from the manufacturer...