Online pharmacies have been accused of treating weight loss jabs ‘like grocery items at a Lidl checkout’ amid fresh calls to toughen regulations.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has written to regulators following reports that some online sellers are setting targets for clinicians to process more than 20 patients every hour.
The body, which represents independent community pharmacies, said current regulation ‘leaves the door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate patient consultation and access to patient records’.
It wants the rules changed so medication such as Mounjaro and Wegovy can only be prescribed after a full face-to-face or phone consultation, lasting 20 to 30 minutes.
Demand for the jabs, which can see people lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight, continues to grow with half a million people now estimated to use them in the UK.
The majority accessing these drugs are doing so privately with only ten per cent of prescriptions coming from the NHS, although ministers are looking to expand their availability.
According to the NPA, the statistics suggest widespread misuse by those looking to lose a few pounds or who have previously had eating disorders.
There are also fears that profits are being put before safety, with private prescriptions soaring in line with demand.
A pharmacist displays boxes of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes (file image)
A close-up shot of hands administering semaglutide, a popular weight loss injection (file image)
Online pharmacies have been accused of treating weight loss jabs ‘like grocery items at a Lidl checkout’ (file image)
A job advertisement by ‘digital health service’ Numan reportedly set a ‘target per hour’ equivalent to a weight loss prescription every 4.2 minutes, according to the Chemist and Druggist journal.
It said the figures refer to reviews rather than signed prescriptions and include those rejected on safety grounds.
But Dr Graham Stretch, pharmacist and president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA), accused them of ‘treating injectable medications like grocery items at a Lidl checkout’.
It comes after a Daily Mail investigation showed the ease of obtaining the powerful medications without clinical need, with two reporters bypassing the minimal checks of some online prescribers.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is currently reviewing its guidance to safeguard against the risks of online prescribing, including of weight loss medication.
It acknowledges ‘significant risks to patient safety when online questionnaires have inappropriately been the only mode of consultation used’, which it has observed through its inspections and investigations.
The NPA wants a person’s medical history to be examined before sellers decide whether or not to dispense a weight loss injection, and regular reviews must take place.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said: ‘There’s nothing wrong with online services in principle, but it’s important the regulator takes this opportunity to make compulsory a full consultation before dispensing high risk medication such as weight loss injections and ensure supply is prioritised for those in most clinical need, including those with type two diabetes.
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‘Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale, they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal.
‘It is also important to ensure that clinical decisions regarding weight loss injections are not influenced by financial targets or incentives.’
In October, the MHRA told health professionals to remind patients of the side effects of the drugs, such as nausea and diarrhoea and, less commonly, gallstones and pancreatitis.
A spokesperson from the GPhC, said: ‘We require all pharmacies, including those operating online, to ensure that the way in which pharmacy services are delivered safeguards the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
‘We have published guidance specifically for the safe and effective provision of pharmacy services at a distance which we expect online pharmacies in Great Britain to follow.
‘We will be issuing an updated version shortly, which will set out additional safeguards around high-risk medicines, including medicines used for weight management.’
Dr Bryony Henderson, medical director at Numan, said its prescribers are ‘guided solely by their professional judgment’ and they are all required to be weight-loss trained, prescribing pharmacists, clinicians or doctors’
She said: ‘Safety is our number one priority: patients, rightly, demand it and we aim to uphold the highest standards.
‘Every patient who comes to us undergoes a thorough diagnostic process and must provide truthful, detailed responses, along with any required evidence so our clinicians can rigorously assess each case.
‘All our independent prescribers are always given the time they need to make safe, informed decisions with the full support of our clinical team.’
