The criteria for getting Mounjaro from your GP, explained

Picture this: your GP says Mounjaro is an option, what do they actually need to see?

You've read about Mounjaro online, maybe a friend mentioned it, and you've decided to bring it up at your next appointment. Your GP is sympathetic. But before they can issue a prescription on the NHS, they need to confirm you sit inside a very specific window set by NICE's appraisal of tirzepatide (NICE technology appraisal TA1026) and NHS England's phased rollout plan.

Currently (from June 2025) the first cohort of NHS patients who can receive tirzepatide through a GP must have a BMI of 40 or above and four or more of the following five conditions: high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes. That is a high bar. Most people asking about Mounjaro do not have all four conditions documented in their records, which is the first thing your GP will check.

From around June 2026, a second cohort opened the scheme to adults with a BMI of 35 to 39.9 alongside four or more of those same conditions. A further expansion (covering people with a BMI of 40 or above and three conditions) is expected around March 2027. The thresholds are 2.5 kg/m² lower for people from South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean backgrounds, in line with UK clinical guidance. If you want a rough sense of where your BMI sits, the NHS BMI calculator takes about forty seconds to use.

The BMI requirements for Mounjaro are explained in more detail if you want to explore the numbers further.

The part most people don't realise: your GP practice has to opt in

Meeting the BMI and condition criteria is necessary, but it is not sufficient on its own. Under the 2026/27 GP contract changes, NHS practices can choose whether to prescribe tirzepatide for weight management, it is not automatic. Some practices have already begun; others are still setting up the pathway or have decided not to participate yet. This means two people with identical health profiles living in neighbouring postcodes can get very different answers from their GPs.

If your practice is not yet prescribing, your GP may refer you to a specialist weight management service instead, though waiting times for those services are often long. It is worth asking your surgery directly whether they are currently part of the NHS tirzepatide prescribing scheme, that is a one-minute conversation that can save a lot of uncertainty. Our guide on getting Mounjaro through your GP covers what to ask and how the referral pathway tends to work.

There is also the wraparound care requirement. Everyone receiving Mounjaro on the NHS must be enrolled in a structured behaviour-change programme covering diet and physical activity. This is not optional, it is built into the commissioning framework. NHS England's guidance on weight management injections sets out what that support should include.

What happens if you don't meet the GP criteria right now?

A lot of people fall just outside the current thresholds. Your BMI might be 38 with two weight-related conditions, or 42 with three. The NHS criteria do not bend for individual circumstances, if the documented comorbidities are not there in the required number, the prescription cannot go ahead under the NHS scheme at this stage.

That is genuinely frustrating, and it is worth saying plainly. The phased rollout exists because of NHS capacity, not because the medicine is less effective at lower thresholds. Mounjaro is licensed privately for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with at least one weight-related condition, thresholds that are considerably broader than the current NHS ones, and if you want to understand what the criteria for Mounjaro cover across both NHS and private routes, it helps to see the full picture in one place. A prescriber assessing those criteria will look at the whole picture: your BMI, your health history, any medications you take, and whether treatment is clinically appropriate for you specifically.

For context on what private treatment involves, the Mounjaro cost page explains what a private prescription typically includes beyond the medicine itself. If you'd like to understand the full eligibility picture in one place, the Mounjaro eligibility overview is a good starting point, and our Mounjaro treatment page covers how the medicine works alongside the clinical context.

Mounjaro is a Black Triangle medicine, subject to additional MHRA monitoring. It is not suitable for everyone, and a prescriber's assessment is the only way to know whether it is right for you. If you would like a same-day review by a clinician, our prescribers are available seven days a week. Speak to our prescribers to check your eligibility with no obligation.