Lilly’s drug cuts diabetes risk by 94%, so why is it still not on the PBS?

On World Diabetes Day (14 November), new data reveals that three years of treatment with a GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes while promoting sustained and substantial weight loss.

In Eli Lilly’s landmark SURMOUNT-1 study, adults with pre-diabetes and obesity or overweight who received weekly doses of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) over 176 weeks demonstrated a 94% reduction in their risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those on standard care.

“At Lilly, we are acutely aware of the needs of people with pre-diabetes and obesity or overweight, and the significance of this research,” said Tori Brown, General Manager of Eli Lilly Australia and New Zealand. “The growing body of evidence for Mounjaro presents a compelling case for regulatory and reimbursement decision-makers.”

Ahead of World Diabetes Day, the Australian Diabetes Society (ADS), Diabetes Australia, and Dr Mike Freelander MP, Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care, and Sport, have voiced urgency over Australia’s diabetes crisis, noting that federal government action remains stalled.

Nearly 1.5 million Australians are registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) as living with diabetes, while an estimated additional half-million remain undiagnosed, silently living with the condition.

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said “Diabetes costs the healthcare system around $3.4 billion every year and that cost is only going to increase if people can’t afford proper management which can lead to complications like kidney disease, heart attack and stroke.”

Lilly is now set to submit this critical long-term data to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), with a goal of updating the Mounjaro Product Information in Australia.

Brown added, “The medical and public health potential of Mounjaro is becoming increasingly apparent and needs to be converted into clinical practice.

“With the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Advisory Committee having just reviewed our second reimbursement submission for Mounjaro in type 2 diabetes, it’s important that the full potential of this medicine is recognised.”

Despite the Australian National Diabetes Strategy’s 7 outlined goals and the 23 recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes Report, both initiatives are critically lacking in implementation.

“For both of these Federal Government initiatives, there is no implementation plan and no associated funding,” stated A/Professor Sof Andrikopoulos, CEO of ADS. “We’ve poured time and effort into a national strategy and a parliamentary inquiry, but we’ve dropped the ball on the most important part: implementation.”

Brown emphasised, “A procurement mindset must not impede equitable access to medicines that offer significant benefits to a significant number of Australians.”

“It’s time to reorient the mindset around Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) reimbursement. Australians with a clear medical need should not miss out on access to an innovative medicine with proven clinical benefit because the patient pool is considered too large to allow for government funding,” she concluded.

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