England's National Health Services will offer Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug to nearly a quarter million people as part of a three-year plan, the country's drugs cost regulator said on Thursday. The drug,

While Mounjaro was cleared for use in England last year, Lilly put its launch on hold until its pre-filled injection device, Kwikpen, was endorsed in January by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The product was cleared for both type 2 diabetes and obesity patients.

The announcement is a blow to the compounding pharmacies that have made cheaper, off-brand versions of the medication The two-year shortage of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs is over,

The removal of Zepbound and Mounjaro from the regulator’s shortage list could lead to restrictions on pharmacies making custom-made versions.

Eli Lilly & Co.’s blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs are no longer considered to be in shortage in the U.S., threatening to upend the many knockoffs that became popular when patients couldn’t find the brand-name medicines.

Nearly 250,000 people in England could be taking Eli Lilly & Co.’s blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro within three years as part of a phased rollout of the popular drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs from its shortage list late on Wednesday, likely piling pressure on firms selling cheaper versions known as compounded drugs.