Current rules leave door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate patient consultation, association says. Pharmacies are demanding tougher regulation of the online sale of weight-loss jabs amid a predicted new year’s boom in demand. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), who represent independent community pharmacies, urged the regulator to require greater consultation with patients before dispensing weight-loss jabs and other high-risk medication online.
Current rules, the NPA said, “leaves the door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate patient consultation and access to patient records”. Nick Kaye, chair of the NPA, said: “Obesity is one of the biggest challenges facing our country and pharmacies want to play their part in helping patients lose and maintain a healthy weight. Weight-loss injections can play an important role in efforts to tackle obesity when prescribed as part of a carefully managed treatment programme for patients who are most in need of support.
“However, we are concerned that the current regulations allow some patients to inappropriately access weight-loss injections without proper consultation or examination of historical medical records.”. The NPA urged regulators to require that pharmacies conduct a full two-way consultation with patients before dispensing “higher-risk” medication such as weight-loss jabs.
The General Pharmaceutical Council has produced draft guidelines on weight-loss medication. But the NPA said the proposed safeguards “still leaves the door open for medicines to be prescribed/supplied without appropriate two-way direct patient consultation and access to patient records for a full clinical picture particularly where high-risk medicines are involved, and the risk to patient safety remains”.
