Key Summary
- The lowest strengths, 1.5 mg and 4mg, of Wegovy weight loss pill will now be available in pharmacies.
- The pill has got the approval of MHRA, but awaits clearance from NICE to be sold via the NHS.
- Pharmacists expect a surge in demand and are also concerned that fraudsters would sell fakes.
Pharmacies are expecting a surge in demand with the launch of the sale of Wegovy pills in some pharmacies from Monday (6).
They will sell the lowest strengths, 1.5 mg and 4mg, of the Novo Nordisk-manufactured weight loss pill, which was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last month.
This GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet is currently not available via the NHS, as it awaits clearance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
As with weight loss injections, these patients will also need wrap-around care and sustained changes to lifestyle and diet for better outcomes.
A snap survey by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) from July 1 to 3 found that over three-quarters (76 per cent) of pharmacies anticipate a significant number of new eligible patients in the coming months.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of the respondents claimed they had received an increased number of queries from patients wanting to start treatment.
However, 97 per cent of pharmacies were concerned that the new form of treatment would increase fake or unlicensed weight loss pills being sold on the black market, causing a risk to patient safety.
The NPA pointed out that a vast majority of patients are receiving the treatment privately through pharmacies, and requested the government to use pharmacies to speed up the NHS rollout of these medicines to reach out to more eligible patients.
Precautions to be taken
The NPA has urged the patients to access the new treatment only through regulated pharmacies after a thorough two-way consultation.
A previous NPA research had found that patients at two in five pharmacies had unwittingly bought medicines online from unregulated providers last year.
Medicines from unregulated providers may be faked, swapped for an alternative medicine or not meet the strict regulatory standards that exist in the UK.
NPA chair Olivier Picard said, “This is a significant day and pharmacies are bracing themselves for a surge in demand for this new form of weight loss treatment.
“This is particularly significant for patients who cannot or do not want to take an injectable medicine.
"The NHS roll out remains extremely slow and community pharmacy is ready to support a wider roll out, which will help eligible patients access treatment safely and help mitigate the impact of obesity on the NHS.
“However, as this survey shows, pharmacies are concerned about a dangerous and growing black market for weight loss medicines, with the tablet form of medication likely to be easier for criminals to counterfeit.
“Patients should be wary of sites offering medicines at a cost that is too good to be true or providers who are not offering consultations before prescribing.
“If anyone is concerned by a medicine they have bought online, they should speak to their local pharmacist for advice.
“Weight loss medication is not a silver bullet and won't be suitable for all patients but it can help those who are eligible achieve a healthy weight, along with sustained changes to diet and lifestyle."
