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Bedfordshire and Luton Joint Formulary
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB
Formulary Chapter: 4 - Central nervous system 
Notes:

Any drug not listed on the Formulary should be considered Non-Formulary - Not recommended for prescribing
04.05 Drugs used in the treatment of obesity
FSRH GLP-1 agonists and contraception Patient information leaflet Injectable weight loss drugs, contraception and HRT from the Primary Care Women’s Health Society MHRA GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know NICE guideline [NG246]: Overweight and obesity management

Liraglutide (Saxenda®)
(6mg/ml Solution for injection in pre-filled pen)

RED
Restricted Drug Restricted

Pre-filled pen - contains 18 mg liraglutide in 3 ml.

PRESCRIBE BY BRAND

Adults:

To be used in accordance with the following NICE TA(s)

NB - Prescribed in secondary care by a multidisciplinary tier 3 weight management service. No GP prescribing.

GPs can refer patients to the Luton & Dunstable Tier 3 service using the referral form below. 

Treatment should be discontinued after 12 weeks on the 3.0 mg/day dose if patients have not lost at least 5% of their initial body weight.

 

April 2023: Approved for use in paediatrics from age 12 for management of obesity, under guidance of tertiary centre.

 

How to recycle pens using PenCycle®

 

Entry reviewed: May 2025

BNF BNFc SPC
MHRA DSU Nov 2023 Ozempic▼(semaglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide): vigilance required due to potentially harmful falsified products Specialist Weight Management Obesity/Bariatric Service Referral Form MHRA DSU GLP-1 receptor agonists: reports of diabetic ketoacidosis when concomitant insulin was rapidly reduced or discontinued NICE TA 664 Liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity

Semaglutide (Wegovy®)
(0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg & 2.4mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen)

RED
Restricted Drug Restricted

To be used in accordance with the following NICE TA(s):

NB - to be used for a maximum of 2 years, and within a specialist weight management service providing multidisciplinary management of overweight or obesity (including but not limited to tiers 3 and 4). No GP prescribing.

PRESCRIBE BY BRAND

 

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Entry reviewed May 2025 

BNF BNFc SPC
NICE TA875: Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®)
(Overweight and obesity)

RED
Restricted Drug Restricted

For use in accordance with the NICE TA / funding variation below only. 

Restricted FOR PRESCRIBING - Blueteq form required - see link from Formulary homepage.

Initial availability for cohort 1 will be via the primary care community weight management service. Cohort 1 includes patients with BMI >40kg/m2 (>37.5kg/m2 South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds) and ≥4 ‘qualifying’ comorbidities - hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus. For additional detail, see NHS England’s Interim Commissioning Guidance (link below).

See BLMK Health & Care Partnership statement for additional information and FAQs.

2.4ml pre-filled pens (1 pen/4 doses): 2.5mg/0.6ml, 5mg/0.6ml, 7.5mg/0.6ml, 10mg/0.6ml, 12.5mg/0.6ml and 15mg/0.6ml KwikPens

Entry reviewed: June 2025

BNF SPC
NICE TA1026: Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity NHS England Interim Commissioning Guidance: Implementation of the NICE Technology Appraisal TA1026 and the NICE funding variation for tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) for the management of obesity
Classifications
GREEN
May be initiated in any care setting
Amber SPA
Specialist to advise therapy and provide first 28 days supply, continuation in Primary Care
Amber SPIS
Specialist to initiate and stabilise medicine prior to continuation in Primary Care
SCG
To be prescribed as per Shared Care Guidance. If no SCG in place status reverts to red.
RED
Red medicines are designated as specialist only medicines which should only be prescribed by a specialist, usually within secondary care (either due to the requirement for specialist knowledge, long-term monitoring requirements, or restrictions that mean medicine supplies are only available to hospitals).
DNP
A decision has been made either locally and/or nationally not to routinely commission this preparation. Do not prescribe.
SELF
To be purchased over the counter. May be prescribed for chronic, long term conditions or on admission to hospital if essential.