UK online pharmacies face stricter rules for sales of weight-loss jabs

Access to weight-loss jabs through online pharmacies is to be tightened up as part of a crackdown on inappropriate prescriptions – although some experts say even more must be done.

Weight-loss injections such as Wegovy, which contains the drug semaglutide, and Mounjaro, which contains the drug tirzepatide, have boomed in popularity after trials showed they can help people lose significant amounts of weight, with many people seeking private prescriptions.

However, concerns have been raised that the medications are being inappropriately prescribed through online pharmacies to people who do not meet the criteria for them.

A Guardian investigation previously revealed some online pharmacies operating in the UK have approved and dispatched private prescriptions of the jabs to people of a healthy weight, as well as to those who have lied about their weight to meet criteria for a prescription.

Now the general pharmaceutical council (GPhC), which regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises in England, Scotland and Wales, has said it is tightening the rules.

The changes mean pharmacies can no longer base decisions about online prescribing of weight-loss jabs – or other high-risk medications such as antimicrobials, laxatives and opioids – on the information provided in an online questionnaire alone, as some online pharmacies have done previously. Instead, such information must be verified independently.

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Source: The Guardian, 4 February 2025