Britons ‘cheating the system' to get fat jabs for holiday, says Streeting
The Health Secretary claimed people are pretending to be overweight so that they could get hold of jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy, which is also sold as Ozempic to treat diabetes.
He said the Government was looking at how to prevent people who do not need the jabs getting hold of them as people continue to exaggerate their size to get hold of the drugs.
'I was reading some stuff today about the number of younger people, so it was 16-to-24-year-olds. Now if they're overweight, no problem. If it's with good clinical diagnosis and supervision, no problem,' he told the the Politics Inside Out podcast.
'But I think we what we are seeing is a lot of people cheating the system online and making out they're bigger than they are because there are a lot of people who maybe want to lose a few pounds before they go on holiday, who are jabbing.'
Mr Streeting added that considering issues around body image and eating disorders, exacerbated by platforms like Instagram, 'we have just got to be a bit careful about that side of this'.
He continued: 'And so while I am very enthusiastic about this approach and we will scale them up on the NHS, not least because I really hate the idea that those who can afford it are benefiting and those who can't are being left behind – that goes against our Labour values – I've also got to mitigate against some of the risks, and so we're looking at all of that in the round.'
The warning comes despite the General Pharmaceutical Council, the pharmacy regulator, introducing stricter checks earlier this year.
Online pharmacies were told they could no longer dispense the medications to patients who have just completed online questionnaires or sent photos. They will will instead require in-person or video consultations to verify patient body mass index (BMI), along with information from GP or medical records.
It is estimated some 1.5 million Britons are currently on the medications, and the overwhelming majority are accessing them privately through online pharmacies.
Weight-loss drugs, which were initially licensed for Type 2 diabetes, are technically known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.
The medications work by mimicking a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, but they also suppress appetite, which makes people feel fuller, sooner. And by eating less, patients can lose weight.
However, doctors and health officials have sounded the alarm about the number of people who are not obese taking the drugs, and suffering complications as a result.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) stressed that the drugs are only meant for treating obesity and diabetes.
While most side effects are mild, some can be serious, the MHRA warned, with more than one in 10 users experiencing gastrointestinal side effects, such as vomiting or diarrhoea.
It said while these were not usually serious, it could cause severe dehydration, and urged those on the drugs to keep well hydrated throughout treatment.
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