Warning over sale of online weight loss injections amid patient safety fears
Warning over sale of online weight loss injections amid patient safety fears
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Pharmacy leaders have issued a fresh warning over the online sale of weight loss jabs, saying there is still a risk to patient safety. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has written to regulators calling for tougher rules following reports some online sellers have set targets for clinicians to process more than 20 patients every hour. The NPA said it was also aware of people being wrongly prescribed the drugs who have previously had eating disorders, or whose body weight is already low. The body, which represents independent community pharmacies, said a two-way consultation with the patient lasting at least 20 to 30 minutes is always needed rather than relying on online questionnaires to access drugs such as Wegovy or Mounjaro. A person’s medical history should also be examined before sellers decide whether or not to dispense a weight loss injection, and regular reviews must take place, it added.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said: “It is important that consultations with patients are thorough, allowing a clinician to gain a full picture of someone’s suitability for weight loss injections as well as ensuring the patient fully understands the nature of the treatment and any potential side-effects it may cause. It is also important to ensure that clinical decisions regarding weight loss injections are not influenced by financial targets or incentives.”.
The NPA has written to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) saying current rules leave the door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate checks “and the risk to patient safety remains”. It said the regulator must require pharmacies to conduct a full two-way consultation, including gathering important medical information, for example through GP records. The consultation between prescriber and patient could be via a face-to-face conversation or on the telephone, it suggested.
