GP practices in England are set to receive financial incentives of up to £3,000 a year to prescribe the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, under changes to the GP contract coming into force in April 2026. The government says the move is designed to improve access to effective obesity treatments and shift the NHS towards prevention rather than treatment of long-term illness.
Under the updated contract, practices will receive £3,000 annually if they prescribe Mounjaro to the maximum number of eligible patients. In addition, they will be paid around £1,000 per year for referring patients to approved weight-loss programmes. Incentive payments are not new within general practice and have previously been used to encourage improvements in areas such as dementia diagnosis, vaccination uptake and the prescribing of statins to reduce heart disease risk. However, this marks the first time weight-loss medication has been included as part of the contract.
Mounjaro, which became available on the NHS in 2025, is one of a new generation of injectable weight-loss drugs. It works by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar levels, helping patients feel fuller for longer and consume fewer calories. A second drug, Wegovy, is also available through the NHS, though it is prescribed via specialist weight-management services rather than directly by GPs.
Despite their growing popularity, access to these medications through the NHS remains tightly restricted. Currently, Mounjaro is available only to patients with a body mass index (BMI) over 40 who also have certain obesity-related health conditions. From next year, eligibility will expand to include those with a BMI over 35, with lower thresholds applying to some ethnic groups. By 2028, the government expects around 220,000 patients to be receiving Mounjaro through the NHS.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described weight-loss drugs as a “game changer” and said access should be based on clinical need rather than the ability to pay. He highlighted concerns about the rapid growth of private prescribing, with more than one million people estimated to be using weight-loss injections – nine in ten of whom are paying privately. Ministers argue that expanding prescribing in general practice will reduce inequality and limit the risks associated with unregulated providers.
However, experts have raised concerns about the likely impact of the new incentives. Obesity specialists point out that the eligibility criteria will not change in the coming year, meaning access will remain limited to those with the most severe clinical need. Some argue that the initiative may therefore have only modest short-term impact.
The British Medical Association has also stressed that the proposals do nothing to address the gap between those who can afford private treatment and those who cannot. Meanwhile, the Royal College of GPs has emphasised that prescribing decisions are always guided by clinical judgement rather than financial incentives. There are also concerns that widening access could add to GP workload and raise unrealistic expectations among patients who may not meet the strict criteria.
Ultimately, while the new incentive scheme signals a stronger policy focus on obesity treatment, significant questions remain about capacity, eligibility and whether medication alone can meaningfully tackle the wider causes of obesity.