Mounjaro found to reduce the risk of heart attacks

Worldwide sales of the drug have doubled in 2026 as demand continues to boom.

Manufacturer Eli Lilly reported that Mounjaro sales reached £13.8 billion in the first half of 2026, a 106 per cent increase compared to the same period the year before.

The NHS spent £574m on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) last year—5% of its total prescribing bill of £11.6bn, new data show.

The increase comes despite most people who are eligible for the treatment on the NHS not yet being able to get it.

Can the NHS afford it?https://t.co/igfszEtjsm

— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) June 29, 2026

Mounjaro found to reduce the risk of heart attacks

Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is already used on the NHS in the UK to treat type 2 diabetes and severe obesity.

It has now been found to reduce the risk of heart attacks, according to a new study.

Mounjaro, when given to people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, lowered heart attack risk by 33% compared to patients taking a different diabetes medication.

The findings come from a US study published in the BMJ, which followed nearly 53,000 patients who began treatment with either Mounjaro or sitagliptin, another type 2 diabetes drug.

Researchers tracked major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attacks, strokes, and death from any cause, in both groups over the course of one year.

The study found the risk of MACE was 2.9 per cent in patients taking Mounjaro, compared to 4.4 per cent in those on sitagliptin.

Researchers said: "This study shows how trial-anchored evidence from clinical practice can estimate the expected cardiovascular benefit of initiating tirzepatide beyond standard background treatment and inform shared decision making."

They estimated that Mounjaro prevented one major cardiovascular event for every 70 people treated.

While the drug significantly reduced heart attack risk, it did not show a meaningful difference in stroke rates.

However, it did lead to a reduction in hospital admissions due to infections, with one fewer admission for every 48 patients treated.

It also prevented one death from any cause for every 122 patients.

Have you used Mounjaro? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.