From the Telegraph today. I'm ordering a new pen today. I wonder if I will be impacted? I'll report back.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/04/weight-loss-jab-loophole-clampdown-online-pharmacies/
Weight-loss jab loophole closed for thin people
Those too slim to be eligible for injections can no longer get prescription without seeing a doctor under new guidance
Laura Donnelly
Health Editor
04 February 2025 6:23am GMT
Loopholes allowing slim people to obtain weight-loss jabs without seeing a doctor have been closed in a clampdown on online pharmaciess_.
New rules from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will mean that people can no longer obtain the injections without undergoing a consultation, or checks being carried out via their regular GP.
It follows an explosion in private prescribing of the jabs, which are heavily rationed by the NHSS_.
Although more than half a million people are using the weight-loss drugss_ in the UK, just 5 per cent are getting them on prescription from the NHS.
Over the past year, jabs such as tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaroo_, and semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and as Ozempic for diabetes, have become increasingly popular.
Trials have found that the drugs could prevent and treat a host of health problems, cutting deaths from heart attacks and strokes, as well as combating obesity.
Jabs being misused
However, there are increasing concerns that the injections are being misused by women who lie about their weight as they are too slim to be eligiblee_ in order to get “beach body ready”.
Senior medics have warned that A&E units were now treating casualties of the injections on a daily basis.
Almost 400 people have been admitted to hospital after suffering from serious reactions to the drugs, with an upsurge in cases this autumn, figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
In total, more than 17,000 side effectss_ had been reported to the regulator by the end of November.
People wanting to buy weight-loss jabs online will face more stringent checks under the new rules, introduced from Tuesday.
The GPhC, which regulates pharmacies, has told online pharmacies that they can no longer prescribe the drugs based simply on a patient questionnaire.
They have been told that they must conduct “two-way communication” with the patient, either in person or via video, or independently verify the information provided.
This means either contacting the person’s GP or regular prescriber, or checking their medical records, the guidance says.
The change aims to close the loophole which allows consumers to pretend that they weigh more than they do in order to obtain drugs which are normally restricted to those who are obese, or have a BMI of at least 27, and suffer with weight-related health problems.
It will no longer be enough to prescribe the drugs following an email correspondence, from questionnaires or by people sending in photos of themselves.
The GPhC said it was responding to concerns relating to the unsafe prescribing and supply of medicines onlinee_, including weight-loss jabs.
As well as medicines being obtained by those who are too slim to be eligible, there have been reports of online pharmacies setting targets to encourage heavy prescribing of the drugs.
Duncan Rudkin, chief executive of the GPhC, said: “The message of this updated guidance is clear: online pharmacies should only supply a medicine if the prescriber has had an appropriate consultation with the person, and has made sure they have all the necessary information to check if that medicine is safe and suitable for them...
“We know online pharmacy services can provide a very valuable service, but through our inspections and investigations, we’ve seen too many cases of medicines being supplied inappropriately online and putting people at risk.
“This updated guidance will support online pharmacies to protect their patients, and we expect them to act now to make sure these safeguards are in place.”
Other key changes to the guidance include emphasising that online pharmacies need to follow the law and guidance on the advertising and promotion of medicines.
The GPhC said it was working closely with the MHRA and the Advertising Standards Authority to tackle inappropriate advertising and promotions.
Nick Kaye, the chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, which represents 8,000 independent community pharmacies, said it was pleased its concerns had been taken on board.
He said: “Delivering good care whilst maintaining the highest levels of patient safety is the number one priority for pharmacies and we hope this updated guidance will help to protect the safety of patients needing weight-loss injections and other higher-risk medication.
“It’s also important patients avoid unregulated sellers of medication, such as beauty salons, who could pose a serious risk to their health.”
Louise Edwards, the chief strategy officer at the GPhC, said the new safeguards would “help prevent people providing false information about their weight, to obtain medicines that are not clinically appropriate for them and could cause them harm”.
She said the medicines regulator had previously issued an alert when medicine had been misused for “aesthetic weight management by people who were not obese”.
“Through our inspections, we’ve seen inappropriate prescribing and supply by online pharmacies, and have taken enforcement action against at least 12 pharmacies in relation to their supply of weight-management medicines” she said.