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The National Pharmacy Association has warned demand for weight loss medication is “ballooning to unprecedented levels”, leaving people who do not meet the criteria to receive the treatment tempted to turn to unregulated suppliers.

An online poll of more than 2,000 adults in the UK, commissioned by the NPA and carried out by Savanta in June, found younger people were more likely to try and access treatments such as Mounjaro and Wegovy despite falling outside of MHRA guidelines.

Mounjaro and Wegovy have been licensed for use in patients with a body mass index of over 30 as well as those with a BMI of between 27 and 30 who also have a weight-related co-morbidity such as prediabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart problems.

However, Mounjaro is gradually being rolled out on the NHS to people with a BMI of 40 or more who have at least four of the following co-morbidities; Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

Twenty-one per cent of respondents to the NPA’s survey said they tried to access weight loss treatments in the last year through an online or in-person pharmacy, rising to 35 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds. That compared to just seven per cent of over-55s.

Forty-one per cent said they would access weight loss treatments on the NHS if they were made available to them, increasing to 64 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds. The NPA said that was despite “many of these patients being unlikely to be clinically eligible”.

“The findings highlight the booming demand for private and NHS weight loss services,” the NPA said, insisting “spiralling” demand for weight loss drugs was being “fuelled in part by social media”.

The NPA added: “People are being tempted to resort to unregulated online suppliers instead of regulated pharmacies, staffed by medical professionals, who use weight loss jabs alongside a structured programme designed to help people change their behaviour.”

The NPA called on the Government to provide more details on prime minister Keir Starmer’s vague suggestion earlier this month during his announcement of the 10-year NHS plan that it will deliver “things like innovative weight loss services, available in pharmacies”.

Estimating at least 85 per cent of weight loss medication prescriptions were made by pharmacies in April, the NPA said: “No details have been announced yet about the role pharmacies could play in the NHS roll-out of the service and we have called for greater clarity.”

NPA chair: Labour must include pharmacies in NHS weight management programme

NPA chair Olivier Picard warned supplies of weight loss medicines needed to be “carefully managed so that those in most clinical need can benefit from weight loss medication”.

“Weight loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century but growing demand for weight loss treatment highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it,” he said.

“It's clear from this polling that many more people are interested in getting weight loss jabs than would actually be suitable for treatment.

“We’re also urging the government to bring forward plans to include pharmacies in the roll out of their NHS weight management programme.”

The NPA recently urged the General Pharmaceutical Council to introduce tougher regulations to protect patients buying weight loss medication online, including a thorough consultation and review of their medical records with prescribers.

Urging Labour to ensure pharmacies play an integral role in the roll-out of weight loss treatments, Picard said: “Pharmacists are experts in medication and many have extensive experience delivering weight loss injections as part of a package of care including lifestyle advice.

“Pharmacies are well placed to help roll this treatment out on the NHS, and help people make the best use of these powerful medicines.”

Surging demand reveals crucial role pharmacists play

Kishan Purohit, a pharmacist at Crowhill Pharmacy in Nuneaton, told Independent Community Pharmacist the “risk posed by unregulated online suppliers makes pharmacist-led dispensing and ongoing monitoring more important than ever”.

“This surging demand truly reveals the crucial role pharmacists play in safeguarding patient health,” he said. “Pharmacists are experts in the field. We are trained healthcare professionals who consult closely with patients, manage expectations and ensure medications are used safely and responsibly.

“The sustainability of these weight-loss treatments depends heavily on patients receiving professional healthcare advice from qualified pharmacists, rather than turning to potentially dangerous alternatives.”