Mounjaro warning over common prescription mistake that puts thousands of Brits ‘at risk of deadly organ failure'
Branded the 'King Kong' of weight loss injections, Mounjaro can now be prescribed by GPs on the NHS.
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But while more than three million Brits are thought to be eligible to take tirzepatide - the active drug in Mounjaro - only around 220,000 people are likely to get them prescribed on the NHS by 2028.
With demand soaring for the 'miracle' drugs that health chiefs hope will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis, thousands of Brits have opted to pay for the jabs privately.
Like all medications the weight loss jabs come with the risk of side-effects, ranging from milder symptoms like nausea, diarrhoea and constipation to more severe complications.
Among the most dangerous is the potentially life-threatening condition, pancreatitis, which medics say could be avoided with a simple blood test.
Rachael Joy, nurse and chief clinical officer at SheMed, a private healthcare provider, told the Mail Online: "The safest way for people to use these jabs is through mandatory blood screening.
"These blood tests help identify any underlying health issues that need to be managed before a patient starts the programme, or if the treatment is entirely unsuitable."
Blood tests can screen for a host of health issues including thyroid problems, uncontrolled pre-diabetes, and high levels of harmful fats called triglycerides in the blood.
These come from foods, including butter, oil and fats, certain levels of these fats are needed for good health but high levels increase the risk of heart disease.
If someone has really high levels of these fats they may be at risk of pancreatitis, Ms Joy warns.
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach.
I went on fat jabs but the hair loss was unbelievable so I quit - I'd rather be chubby with hair than skinny and bald
There is a relatively high survival rate for pancreatitis but it can trigger organ failure.
In a few cases of severe acute pancreatitis the organ can lose its blood supply and turn necrotic.
This in turn can cause a deadly sepsis infection and cause other organs to fail.
Severe acute pancreatitis can also trigger a systemic inflammatory response which causes other organs, like the lungs and kidneys, to fail.
Officials are now looking into whether jab users affected by pancreatitis have a genetic trait that leaves them at greater risk of side-effects.
Ms Joy has said this could be flagged by a simple blood test.
She is urging healthcare professionals, both private and public, to reconsider rolling out the weight loss jabs without strict guidance in place.
SheMed have made blood tests a mandatory part of their programme before prescribing the revolutionary jab.
The UK medicines regulator launched a probe into the safety of the jab last month after hundreds of patients developed pancreatitis, and ten people died.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it received more than 560 reports of people developing an inflamed pancreas after taking so-called Mounjaro injections since they were launched.
The MHRA is now asking for users who are admitted to hospital with pancreatitis to report the side-effect via it's Yellow Card scheme.
Healthcare staff can also report the side-effect on a patient's behalf, which involves providing further information and submitting a saliva sample.
Researchers hope this will enable doctors to use rapid genetic screening tests before prescribing drugs.
It is predicted that adverse drug reactions could cost the NHS more than £2.2 billion a year in hospital stays alone.
Most side effects linked to the Mounjaro are gastrointestinal including nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.
But Ms Joy has warned that the weight loss jab can also cause severe dehydration, especially in people with diabetes.
It can cause headaches and dizziness and if not treated quickly can lead to seizures and kidney failure and even be fatal.
What is pancreatitis?
INFLAMMATION in the stomach area could lead to the discovery of one of several different illnesses, such as pancreatitis.
Many people worldwide experience the symptoms associated with pancreatitis, here's a look at how to identify the unfortunate health condition.
Acute pancreatitis means severe inflammation of the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach that helps with digestion.
The most common causes are gallstones and heavy drinking.
Acute pancreatitis means that the information eventually disappears, while chronic pancreatitis is permanent.
About four in 100,000 people suffer from acute pancreatitis each year in Britain.
According to a 2007 study, every year 220,00 people in the US will suffer from acute pancreatitis.
The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is abdominal pain, which builds up over the course of a few hours and can last for several days.
Patients with pancreatitis may find themselves vomiting or generally feeling unwell.
Some report swollen abdomens which are often associated with a high fever.
The condition can become life-threatening if the pancreas swells enough to press on other organs - often the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
To combat the condition of pancreatitis, there are several methods that medical professionals use to treat it.
Antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and pain medication are a few of the approaches experts utilize to fight the condition.
If a gallstone is present, an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography might be required.
If the condition is chronic, a nasogastric tube may be placed in the stomach.
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