What are the new rules for buying weight loss injections online and who is eligible?

• There are new rules for people buying weight loss injections online.
• Weight loss injections such as Wegovy or Mounjaro work by reducing food cravings.
• The new guidance will help prevent vulnerable people buying the ‘high-risk’ medications online.

New rules will make it harder to buy weight loss injections online, with additional checks being brought in to help prevent people from receiving medicine that is not right for them and may cause them harm.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) have published the new guidance for prescribing weight loss injections such as Wegovy or Mounjaro online, which includes stricter checks to verify the patient is eligible.

Weight loss injections work by reducing food cravings, they are available on the NHS to people with certain BMI’s, whilst others opt to get them privately from online pharmacies.

Commenting on the new guidance, Nick Kaye, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said: "We're pleased that the GPhC has taken on board concerns expressed by the NPA about a small number of patients who have been able to access higher risk medication, such as weight loss injections, without proper consultation or examination of historical medical records.

"Delivering good care whilst maintaining the highest levels of patient safety is the number one priority for pharmacies and we hope this updated guidance will help to protect the safety of patients needing weight loss injections and other higher risk medication.

"It is important to note that the vast majority of pharmacies, including online sellers, already adhere to good practice in this area and do all they can to support patients to attain and maintain a healthy weight in a carefully managed programme of treatment."It's also important patients avoid unregulated sellers of medication, such as beauty salons, who could pose a serious risk to their health."

What are the new rules for buying weight loss injections online?

The new rules will mean that getting a prescription online for weight loss drugs such as Wegovy or Mounjaro will not be based on the information provided in an online questionnaire alone.

The online pharmacy will have to independently verify the information provided including the patient’s BMI, they can do this through accessing the person’s medical records or contacting their GP, regular prescriber, or a third-party provider.

Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive at the GPhC, said: “The message of this updated guidance is clear; online pharmacies should only supply a medicine if the prescriber has had an appropriate consultation with the person, and has made sure they have all the necessary information to check if that medicine is safe and suitable for them.

“For high-risk medicines, online pharmacies need to put even more safeguards in place, including always independently verifying the information provided by the person before supplying that medicine.”

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Who is eligible for weight loss injections?

You may be eligible for weight loss injections from an online pharmacy if you have a certain BMI and additional health factors.

According to Llyods Pharamcy, medications such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Saxenda are suitable for people with a BMI of over 30 (or 27-30 if you have a risk factor). Whilst Orlistat and Xenical can be prescribed for people with a BMI of over 30 (or 28 if you have a risk factor such as high blood pressure).

If you have been affected by any of the content in this article, you can seek advice and support at Beat Eating Disorders.