Wait for NHS weight loss services blamed for rise in people buying unsafe jabs online
Years' long waits for NHS weight loss services are being blamed for people resorting to buying potentially unsafe jabs online, the nation’s top GP has warned.
A recent Obesity Health Alliance report found some patients are being asked to wait for up to five years for specialist weight management support, while some overweight and obesity management services are so overstretched that they have closed their waiting lists entirely.
Chair of the Royal College of GPs, Professor Kamila Hawthorne warned these long wait times were driving some people to buy drugs online from unregulated retailers as well as potentially missing out on wraparound support needed alongside the medication.
She also raised concerns about the safety of cheaper alternatives to the pre-filled injection pens which involve people preparing part of the medicine at home.
The medicines regulator has warned against buying weight loss medicines without a prescription on social media or through beauty salons.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) urged people to be aware of fake pharmacy websites and social media posts offering weight-loss medicines illegally without a prescription.
It warned criminals will go to “great lengths” to make their businesses appear “authentic” and the products they are selling could potentially contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Andy Morling, MHRA’s deputy director of criminal enforcement, said: “At this time of year, with many of us thinking about shedding a little excess weight, we see people offering weight loss medicines for sale as a quick fix, without a healthcare professional’s prescription, from beauty salons, websites and on social media.
“These are not cosmetic treatments; they are powerful medicines that can only be legally and safely dispensed against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.
The General Pharmaceutical Council’s website provides a list of property registered online pharmacies based in Great Britain.
Prof Hawthorne said the population is “gradually getting bigger and bigger” and has called on the government to improve existing weight reduction services by ensuring they are properly resourced and have enough staff to meet demand.
She urged people to reach out for help from their GPs before turning to the internet to buy drugs online.
In an interview with the PA news agency, Prof Hawthorne said: “I think quite a lot of people are buying weight loss drugs privately.
“We do have some serious concerns about that, because you don’t always know the provenance of the drugs that you’re buying unless it’s coming from an accredited company that’s properly regulated, and some of these places are not fully regulated.
“So I think I would definitely be counselling the public not to do that privately, if they can possibly help it, and go to their GP.”
Prof Hawthorne added that patients may not be getting appropriate wraparound care when they purchase the drugs online.
She continued: “The place where I’m working we are referring people to weight loss clinics, but there’s a very long wait.
“In the meantime, we’re talking about what else they can be doing to lose weight.”
Asked if the long wait for weight management services could be turning people to buying drugs online, she said: “Yes, I’m sure that they do.
“If you’re faced with a two-year waiting time and you want to lose weight now, and you know that there is a way that you can lose weight, you know that drug works because nobody’s denying that they don’t work, you might well decide that you’re going to just sort it out yourself.
“I would definitely suggest that you come and talk to your doctor or practice nurse about what you’re intending to do and let them help you – they may know ways of helping you that you haven’t thought about."
Earlier this year, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said “weight loss drugs will be a game-changer”, but “without transforming pathways they could overwhelm already-stretched services”.
Obese people have been told they “will have to wait” for the so-called King Kong of weight-loss jabs, Mounjaro, amid a carefully managed NHS rollout, which spans 12 years.
In the initial three years of its rollout, an estimated 220,000 people could benefit from the drug, out of around 3.4 million people estimated to be eligible.
Those with the highest need will be front of the queue and NHS officials have pledged to review the rollout after the initial phase.
The latest Health Survey for England shows 64% of adults were overweight or obese in 2022.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Obesity can be debilitating, costing lives, the economy and the NHS.
“The introduction of the weight loss drugs to the NHS will ensure that those with the most need will receive treatment first.
“Where appropriate, these obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in real need.
“However, we recognise these drugs are not a replacement for a good diet and exercise and as part of our 10 Year Health Plan we will shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention.”
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