The growing popularity of weight-loss injectables such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has raised alarms among pharmacy experts regarding their access to individuals with a history of disordered eating. The UK's National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is advocating for stricter regulations on the online sale of GLP-1 medications. They propose requiring longer consultations with qualified doctors before prescribing these drugs, unlike the current system where a simple questionnaire suffices. This approach aims to mitigate the risk of improper access and ensure thorough medical evaluations before dispensing high-risk weight-loss treatments.
Those rules would include longer consultations that take place between a real doctor and the patient seeking the medication that last at least 20 minutes - as opposed to the current state of online pharmacies dispensing GLP-1s, many of which only require a questionnaire.
We are concerned that the current regulations allow some patients to inappropriately access weight-loss injections without proper consultation or examination of historical medical records.
There's nothing wrong with online services in principle, but it's important the regulator takes this opportunity to make compulsory a full consultation before dispensing high-risk medication such as GLP-1 drugs.
The NPA is urging tougher rules for the online sale of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor/agonist (GLP-1) drugs, the class of fullness-mimicking medications that includes Wegovy and its popular diabetes sister drug Ozempic.
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