Third of young people want fat jabs as demand spirals
One in five people say they have tried to access a pharmacy weight-loss treatment in the past year but this figure is 35 per cent for those aged between 16 and 34.
Pharmacists have raised the alarm that demand has far exceeded what can be clinically delivered.
Concerns have also been raised that people could resort to looking for drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro from online sellers.
Current guidelines state that patients being prescribed Mounjaro and Wegovy through pharmacies need a BMI of at least 35 and at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as diabetes, to be eligible.
Wegovy can also be prescribed to patients with a BMI of 30–34 who meet the criteria for referral to specialist overweight and obesity management services.
However, the NHS is only rolling out Mounjaro to patients with a BMI of over 40 and at least four co-morbidities.
It spent £269million on fat jabs in 2024-2025 and prescriptions doubled to almost three million a year.
Mounjaro, regarded as the strongest jab and known as King Kong, has driven the spike in prescriptions with 1.1million given out in a year compared with 3,300 in the previous 12 months.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents about 6,000 pharmacies, surveyed 2,000 Britons and found evidence of demand beyond what the NHS can offer.
It is now seeking greater clarity on how pharmacies will be further involved in the distribution of weight-loss medication, something laid out in the Government's recent 10 Year Health Plan.
Olivier Picard, chairman of the NPA, said: 'Weight-loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century but growing demand highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it.
'It's clear from this polling that many more people are interested in getting weight-loss jabs than would actually be suitable for treatment.
'We want to make sure supplies are carefully managed so that those in most clinical need can benefit from medication.
'We're also urging the Government to bring forward plans to include pharmacies in the rollout of their NHS weight-management programme.
'Pharmacists are experts in medication and many have extensive experience delivering weight-loss injections as part of a package of care including lifestyle advice.
'Pharmacies are well placed to help roll this treatment out on the NHS and help people make the best use of these powerful medicines,' he added
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