Weight loss jab 'means I can play with grandson'

Lindsay Fox has taken up strength training to support her weight-loss journey

An islander using the weight loss jab Mounjaro said the drug had "changed her life" and improved her mental health.

"I literally couldn't lift my feet off the ground to jump... now my grandson and I are just running around everywhere and it's easy to get off the floor and back down again," Lindsay Fox said.

She said it was more than just injecting yourself and she had to adopt a healthier lifestyle and integrate strength training into her routine.

Mrs Fox said the positive change she has seen meant she would keep paying for the injections, despite price hikes.

Echoing concerns surrounding health inequality she said: "I'm one of the fortunate ones that can afford to get it but there's a lot of people out there that will really suffer from it."

Mrs Fox added that the government should offer "means-tested grants" for the jabs.

Prescribing Support Unit confirmed that Health and Social Care will be able to access Mounjaro "on the same terms as the NHS, for islanders with Type 2 diabetes".

This means those who get the medication on a States prescription will continue to pay the standard charge - currently £5.20 per prescription.

Those paying privately, will not be immune to price increases.

The BBC understands the highest wholesale dose will now be sold to UK suppliers by manufacturers for £247.50.

Those paying for Mounjaro prescriptions privately will not be immune to price hikes

Mrs Fox said she would like to see a community form for those on weight loss drugs to help the effects last beyond taking the jabs.

She said: "If you go to a slimming club, you get the support afterwards when you all talk about it, there's nothing here.

"So I think if we had a big support group or community group... [it] would be hugely beneficial."

There is also a stigma to be tackled, Mrs Fox highlighted.

She said walking in to get the drug at a pharmacy felt difficult "you actually feel like you're going in and asking for something that isn't legal which is upsetting".