An NHS chief is calling for a crackdown on the online sale and prescription of popular weight-loss jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro following warnings from charities about an increase in people with eating disorders accessing the drugs.
One clinician even warned that patients with low body mass index (BMI) or a history of anorexia are able to get an online prescription for the injections by filling out a simple patient questionnaire and lying about their body weight.
“I am seeing patients who have pushed themselves to rapid weight loss on these jabs, fasting and strenuous exercising,” said Dr Adarsh Dharendra, a consultant psychiatrist specialising in eating disorders at Priory Life Works in Surrey. “Yet patients can still access so many rogue pharmacy websites on mainstream as well as the dark web.”
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis urged online pharmacies and private providers to “act responsibly” and ensure that the drugs are only prescribed to people with a medical need for them, such as those with diabetes.
Last month, the pharmacy regulator tightened prescription rules to prevent weight-loss medications from being supplied “inappropriately”, after groups including the National Pharmacy Association warned some online suppliers were wrongly prescribing the drugs to people who had previously had eating disorders.
Meanwhile, the advertising regulator now has 10 “priority” investigations underway into advertising for weight-loss jabs over concerns rules may be being broken in targeting the public with the promotion of the products – with more inquiries set to be launched shortly.
The drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, were initially created to treat type 2 diabetes but have become a popular weight-loss tool as they also reduce food cravings. They are available on the NHS, but hundreds of thousands of people can also get prescriptions privately through online pharmacies.
In warnings echoed by the Priory, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity Beat said it is seeing an “incredibly worrying” rise in the number of calls made to its helpline regarding the “dangerous” injections as it highlighted the serious health risks.
Tom Quinn, Beat’s director of external affairs, said: “We’re also concerned about what might happen when people finish their prescriptions and potentially gain weight. This could cause feelings of shame and guilt in some people, which could contribute to the development of an eating disorder.”
Professor Powis said: “With eating disorder cases on the rise, it is concerning that some people may be taking these drugs off-label for weight loss. These are powerful medications with serious side effects – including dehydration, nausea, and pancreatitis – which can lead to hospitalisation if misused.
“We continue to urge online pharmacies and private providers to act responsibly and ensure that robust safeguards, such as in-person weight checks, are in place to protect patients from harm.”
Emmerdale actor, broadcaster and manager of eating disorder support service Seed Gemma Oaten developed an eating disorder as a 10-year-old and spent 13 years in and out of hospitals, eating disorder units and psychiatric hospitals.
“I nearly died four times, I had a heart attack when I was 19,” she said.
Now 40, Ms Oaten has been in recovery for 15 years but said it was an ongoing journey. She said the current prevalence of weight-loss drugs – and the renormalisation of ultra-thin celebrities – is hugely harmful.
“I’m well enough to know that it doesn’t trigger me … But it’s very scary that we live in a world where we’re starting to see emaciated bodies out there again,” she said, adding that people with eating disorders have used medications such as laxatives for a long time and this was yet another medication that could be misused.
“Advocates and charities, we’ve been fighting for years to try and normalise the conversation about getting treatment for eating disorders and having an eating disorder, whereas I feel like these drugs are now normalising the fact that you can just lose weight and its acceptable and its OK and its safe, and its really not.”
While medical experts and charities welcomed the General Pharmaceutical Council’s strengthening of rules around online prescriptions, they called for even tougher restrictions.
“This is a positive change and will mean that these dangerous medications fall into the hands of fewer vulnerable people, but we’re calling for more stringent checks,” Mr Quinn said.
Novo Nordisk manufactures Wegovy, which is indicated to help with weight-loss management, and Ozempic, which is not licenced for weight loss but is a drug to treat type 2 diabetes but is sometimes prescribed off-label as a weight-loss treatment.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Patient safety is of utmost importance to Novo Nordisk and we do not condone, suggest, or encourage misuse of any of our medicines outside of their approved indications.
A spokesperson for Eli Lilly, which manufactures Mounjaro for use in type 2 diabetes and weight management for people with obesity, said patient safety was a “top priority”.
“It should not be used outside its approved license. We welcome any guidelines and efforts directed toward safer use of our medicines,” the spokesperson said.
Both companies said it was important for people to only use the drugs under strict medical supervision.
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040
