NHS could offer weight-loss jabs at pharmacies
Weight-loss jabs could become available to patients at pharmacy level, according to reports.
Reports claim that after completing a short over-the-counter consultation, drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy will become available on prescription for £9.90. As it stands, the charge for patients who buy the drugs from private providers is around £150.
NHS prescriptions of the weight-loss injections are currently restricted to those regarded as having the highest clinical need.
Existing guidance says patients must have their BMI verified in person or via a video consultation, alongside information from their GP or medical records.
But a Daily Mail report has alleged that a multimillion-pound deal is on its way with a pharmaceutical firm to fund a pilot scheme across the UK.
The weight-loss jabs work by mimicking a natural hormone to make people feel fuller for longer. It has been suggested that people can lose up to 15 per cent of their body weight within months using the drug. However, some health experts have warned that weight-loss medications are not a quick fix and should only be used under medical supervision.
'We must remember that whilst weight-loss medications can play an important role in efforts to tackle obesity, they are not a quick fix and they are not suitable for everyone,' Thorrun Govind, a pharmacist and health expert, told the Independent.
She added that pharmacists are well equipped to dispense the drugs as they are 'highly trained, regulated professionals who are well-equipped to support patients in accessing treatments safely'.
There is currently a two-year waiting list for Wegovy on the NHS and about a third of adults in England are obese.
Some have argued that offering the injections at a prescription price in pharmacies would make them more accessible to the millions of Britons who could improve their health by taking the medicine.
Obesity costs the NHS around £6 billion a year and is linked to more than 200 diseases. Half of all obese people with three related problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, die within 10 years.
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