The GPhC has said it has taken enforcement action against at least 12 pharmacies since last July for dispensing weight management medicines without appropriate checks.
The pharmacy watchdog said that nine other pharmacies have been penalised for inappropriately supplying medicines online without verifying information, and relying too much on the information provided via a questionnaire.
It noted in its annual report that there has been a 13 percent rise in complaints about the prescribing and oversight of weight-management medicines.
It has dealt with around 1,782 fitness to practice-related concerns since July last year.
The highest proportion of the concerns it received was from the public (over 60 per cent), while the remaining were from other sources such as employers and other healthcare professionals, GPhC inspectors, police and other enforcement organisations and self-referrals.
It noted that before providing medicines for weight management, the prescriber has to independently verify the person’s weight, height and/or body mass index, to support safer decision making and ensure that the supply is appropriate for the person.
Further safeguards have also been included in the guidance for medicines liable to misuse, and those for long-term conditions or that require ongoing monitoring or management.
The GPhC had earlier warned pharmacies for sending inappropriate marketing messages and advice regarding weight-loss medicines to customers.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) norms, prescription-only medicines must not be promoted to the public.
ASA said it is monitoring whether advertisers are sticking to the rules and will not hesitate to take action where they’re not.
Though some of the weight-loss drugs are available through the NHS, but they are rationed and not easily available.
Hence thousands of people buy them privately, and the price of a popular drug brand Mounjaro was recently increased sharply.
