Mounjaro users are not happy after it was confirmed that the ‘golden dose’ was going to be scrapped.
Manufacturer Eli Lilly is said to be cutting down on the amount given in injection pens.
The pre-filled pens are 3ml in size right now and are to be injected once a week over a four-week period.
However, after the final injection is given, there is a little amount of serum left in the pen.
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For those who want more Mounjaro for their money, they’ll draw out this leftover substance and call it the 'golden dose'.
It provides an additional jab, free of charge.
However, with the pens set to change size, this will take away that fifth dose from anyone hoping to encounter the ‘golden dose’ in their bundle.
Typically designed for treating type 2 diabetes, Mounjaro has become an increasingly popular method being used by people wanting to lose weight.
Is the Mounjaro 'golden dose' safe?
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The manufacturer of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly, previously told LADbible that it is designed for no more than four doses of the drug.
The company said: “The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) KwikPen is designed to deliver a fixed volume of Mounjaro solution at each dose. The KwikPen contains sufficient solution to allow for the necessary priming before each injection and the delivery of a total of 4 doses (one dose given weekly for a 28-day supply of medicine).”
It pointed out that, while medication ‘will remain in the KwikPen cartridge’ after the four fixed doses are completed, ‘an additional dose cannot be dialled'.
“The KwikPen must be discarded after 4 doses or 30 days after first use,” the company added.
Experts warned that people breaking into their pens for the dose isn’t all that ‘clean’ and could put them ‘at risk of significant harm’.
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Professor Penny Ward also told the MailOnline that harmful bacteria could enter the bloodstream if a person isn’t careful.
"This can lead to an abscess — a painful build-up of pus — and if left untreated, potentially progress to sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body's organs begin to shut down.”
An Eli Lilly spokesperson also told the Daily Mail that the new pen will reduce the leftover residue: “The KwikPen has been modified to reduce the amount of leftover medicine that remains in the KwikPen after four doses have been administered.”
Each Mounjaro pens contain 3ml of liquid, with four lots of pre-measured 0.6ml doses.
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But customers are not happy.
A Reddit user wrote of the change: “Wow. This company are truly the gift that keeps on giving.”
Another said: “I think they'll phase the release so it will be a random chance whether you get the old pen or the new one which will indirectly make stock piling risky.”
Someone else said: “They really have shafted us all and were likely making a very good profit before the changes."
Others claimed they will still try to extract leftover Mounjaro from the pans, with one person writing: “Maybe half a dose left over so combining two pens with leftover for a full dose. The new golden 9th."
Eli Lilly's comment to LADbible
A spokesperson told us: "A modified KwikPen will be made available globally. While the modified KwikPen has been approved in the UK, the timelines for availability are yet to be determined. The initial Mounjaro KwikPen and the modified Mounjaro KwikPen both contain the volume of solution necessary for priming before each injection and the delivery of 4 doses (one dose given weekly). The KwikPen has been modified to reduce the amount of leftover medicine that remains in the KwikPen after 4 doses have been administered."
Britt Jones