LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Britain's drugs

cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE said on Thursday it will

recommend Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) obesity drug Mounjaro be made

available to around 220,000 people in the country via the state

health system over the next three years.

Mounjaro launched in the UK in February but has been

available only for those paying out-of-pocket mainly through

online pharmacies.

NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,

is recommending Mounjaro, alongside diet and exercise changes,

for people with at least one weight-related condition, such as

heart disease or type 2 diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), a

measure of body fat based on height and weight, of more than 35.

The eligibility guidelines for BMI of more than 35 and a

weight-related condition are the same as those issued by NICE in

March 2023 for Wegovy, the obesity medication made by rival

drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

The guidelines mean that about 3.4 million people in England

could be eligible to receive Mounjaro through the state-run

National Health Service (NHS). Initially, in the first

three-year period, those with the highest clinical need will be

prioritised, it said.

During those first three years, about 220,000 people are

expected to receive the medicine, and NICE will review the

situation again within that time.

NICE expects to publish its final guidance on Dec. 23 if no

appeals are lodged before then, it said. The first NHS patients

will be able to start receiving Mounjaro 90 days after the

guidance is published if they are already treated at a

specialist NHS weight management service, or from 180 days after

if they are not treated in the specialist service, it said.

The criteria means that around 3.4 million people will be

eligible to be treated, and therefore the roll out "has to be

carefully managed to ensure healthcare professionals can

continue to meet the full range of health needs of all their

patients", NICE said.

Mounjaro is part of a class of medicines known as GLP-1

analogues originally developed to help control blood sugar in

patients with type 2 diabetes but also found to suppress

appetite and promote a feeling of fullness. Mounjaro led to an

average weight loss of nearly 23% in clinical trials.

Nearly one in three adults are obese in Britain, the highest

rate in Europe, according to a 2019 Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) report. That is above the

European Union average of 16.5%, according to EU statistics.

Lilly said in a statement that it welcomed NICE's

recommendation and understood that it will require a phased

rollout.