(Reuters) – Britain’s Pharmacy2U said on Wednesday it had cut the prices of weight-loss medication Wegovy and Mounjaro, becoming the latest in a slew of online pharmacies and slimming clinics to do so as initial supply shortages of the drugs ease in the country.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The British market could provide a glimpse into how the fight for patients among private suppliers could develop as drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly ramp up production.
Growing competition between retailers has raised fears that some patients who buy the drugs themselves, amid limited capacity of the National Health Service, will miss out on long-term aftercare if they keep switching providers.
CONTEXT
British drug retail companies that have previously marked down weight-loss drugs include Simple Online Pharmacy, Mayfair Weight Loss Clinic and London Slimming Clinic. They have sacrificed some of their retail margin to win patients as manufacturers have not cut their prices.
BY THE NUMBERS
Pharmacy2U, which serves over 1.4 million UK patients via online prescription services, cut the price of a one-month supply of the Wegovy starter kit to 129 pounds ($162.90) from 169 pounds previously. It cut the price of the Mounjaro starter kit to 139 pounds from 179 pounds.
Pharmacy2U said the offer was limited until May 31 but it “is constantly reviewing the prices of its weight loss services and will be able to confirm pricing again in June”.
($1 = 0.7918 pounds)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
