Whether you think they are a cheat way of losing weight, or a game changer for improving health – there is no getting away from the fact that weight related injections are a hot topic.
New guidelines have been introduced to make sure that the right people are being prescribed the weight-loss jabs – but studies have shown the innovative jabs work well in helping people to reduce body fat and improve their long term health.
But the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has said stricter checks need to happen, in particular with medication ordered online, to make sure people who do not need them are not given the jabs.
Online pharmacies must now use in-person or video consultations to verify patients’ body mass index (BMI) and share information directly with GPs.
This is to prevent people who are already a healthy weight or who have a history of eating disorders from buying weight-loss medication that they don’t need.
The medication is sold as self-injectable products under brand names like Wegovy and Mounjaro. Prior to this guidance, patients could obtain the products by only submitting online questionnaires or photos.
Pharmacists who fail to adhere to the new guidelines could face fitness-to-practice investigations and inspections.
“We know online pharmacy services can provide a very valuable service – but through our inspections and investigations, we’ve seen too many cases of medicines being supplied inappropriately online and putting people at risk,” GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin told the BBC.
Under the latest guidance, such weight-loss drugs are now classed as “high-risk” medicines. While they can be obtained via online pharmacies and even on the NHS, these extra safeguards must fulfil some very strict criteria.
The NHS was first advised to gradually roll out the drug over 12 years.
Yui Mok / PA
Official statistics reveal that 64 per cent of adults in England were considered overweight or obese between 2022 and 2023.
But what exactly is the Mounjaro weight-loss drug and how does it work?
What is the Mounjaro weight-loss drug?
Mounjaro is the brand name for a drug called tirzepatide, which is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that helps to lower people’s blood sugar levels.
The drug helps the body create insulin while also slowing down the amount of glucose produced in the liver and the rate of food digestion.
As well as benefitting people who have Type 2 diabetes, the weekly injection can improve weight loss.
Approved as an obesity drug by the NHS in the summer of 2024, it will be prescribed to people alongside a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.
UCHealth claims that those who received the biggest dose of the drug (15mg) could lose around 21 per cent of their body weight. It’s unclear what proposed dosage the NHS would administer.
Mounjaro suppresses a person’s appetite, making them feel less hungry.
According to the medicine information database, Drugs, it binds to two hormone receptors in our bodies known as GIP and GLP-1, prompting the pancreas to make more insulin while lowering blood sugar.
By slowing the process of food passing through a person’s body, it can also help to make them feel fuller for longer periods of time.
