People wanting to buy weight loss jabs online will face more stringent checks as part of a shake-up of pharmacy rules.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has told online pharmacies they can no longer prescribe the drugs after reading a patient questionnaire, and must instead conduct a proper two-way consultation with the patient.
The move, which is intended to make sure jabs such as Wegovy or Mounjaro are prescribed safely, will include verifying the person’s body mass index (BMI) via a video consultation, in person, or through accessing GP or medical records.
It will no longer be enough to prescribe the drugs following an email chat, from questionnaires or by people sending in photos of themselves.
The GPhC, which regulates pharmacies, said it was responding to concerns relating to the unsafe prescribing and supply of medicines online, including weight loss jabs.
It comes after reports that some people are getting hold of the drugs without thorough checks, and some online pharmacies have set targets for how prescriptions should be processed per hour.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is among those which called for tougher rules after becoming aware of people being wrongly prescribed the drugs who have previously had eating disorders, or whose body weight is already low.
The new rules say the prescriber must independently verify “weight, height and/or body mass index”, adding: “By ‘independently’ we mean that the prescriber uses a different way to verify the information provided to them by the person.
“This could be through a video consultation, in person, from the person’s clinical records or by contacting another healthcare provider such as the person’s GP…
“Verifying information through a phone call would not be appropriate when supplying medication for weight loss.”
The new rules also state that clinicians must ask for details of the patient’s GP and get the patient’s consent to contact them about the prescription.
The prescriber should “actively” share all relevant information about the prescription with other health professionals involved in the care of the person.
“If the person does not have a regular prescriber, such as a GP, or if there is no consent to share information, the prescriber should then decide whether it is safe to prescribe,” the guidance said.
It also said all firms must demonstrate there are no conflicts of interest such as offering “incentives to prescribers to issue prescriptions”.
Weight-loss drugs have also now been added to the list of “high-risk” medicines requiring extra safeguards.
Any decision not to carry out a two-way consultation with the patient must be recorded and the clinician must justify their reasons. The patient can also be directed to another care provider to be “properly assessed”.
The new guidance backs up regulatory standards. If pharmacists do not adhere to the guidance, the GPhC’s view is that they are unlikely to be meeting standards and could face enforcement action.
This could include fitness to practise investigations or inspections, conditions being put on the pharmacy and improvement plans.
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…
“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.
“This updated guidance will support online pharmacies to protect their patients, and we expect them to act now to make sure these safeguards are in place.”
Other key changes to the guidance include emphasising that online pharmacies need to follow the law and guidance on the advertising and promotion of medicines.
The GPhC said it is working closely with both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to jointly tackle inappropriate advertising and promotions.
Weight loss jabs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by reducing food cravings and are available on the NHS for people with a high BMI.
Hundreds of thousands of people also get their prescriptions privately through online pharmacies.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, which represents around 6,000 independent community pharmacies, said it is pleased its concerns have been taken on board.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, said: “As the UK’s largest digital pharmacy, we support any move to improve patient safety, and have been working with the GPhC, CQC and other medical professional bodies to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place for this new generation of weight loss drugs.
“Digital pharmacies can help to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis, delivering life-changing medication to people who may have limited mobility or unique needs, giving them better control of their health. Further clarity on the provision and advertising of these services is a welcome step in the right direction for the market, and we are pleased to state that we meet the new GPhC guidance.“
