Safeguarding our weight loss patients

The GPhC is a regulatory body designed to protect patients in England, Scotland and Wales. It produces, reviews and upholds standards that pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must follow.¹

It also assesses the quality of further education for pharmacy professionals and investigates complaints.¹

Like any other medicines, weight loss treatments have the potential for misuse. To prevent false information from being used to access them, the GPhC updated its guidance on prescribing procedures for weight management medicines in February 2025.²

The guidance is specifically for online pharmacies. This is due to the potential risk of abuse of weight management services. The National Pharmacy Association had previously highlighted that people who were ineligible for the service, like those who have eating disorders, were previously able to access the medicines by supplying false information through consultation forms. ³

By adding additional layers of checks before prescribing, pharmacies and pharmacists can help stop the misuse of products like Wegovy and Mounjaro which were designed to treat obesity.

We are committed to both our patients and the standards set out by the GPhC. That means we always check that the information shared with us is accurate.

Patients must fill out an online consultation form and have the opportunity to share pictures that show their current physique and weight. We speak to all of our patients regardless of whether they choose to share images or not. Everyone who completes a consultation form must have a video call with us. This helps us verify the information they have provided.

We schedule monthly calls with all of our Wegovy and Mounjaro patients. This allows us to check whether their medication is still right for them. It also allows our patients to ask questions about their weight loss journey and share their setbacks and successes.

Keeping in regular contact means that we can appropriately respond to the individual needs of our patients.

We’re on hand to handle patient concerns. Anyone using one of our weight management treatments can contact the clinical team at any point in their treatment. We monitor any messages they send us throughout the week.

Depending on the issues raised, there are a few approaches we can take. The first is to direct them to additional support and services to help manage their specific needs.

If they’ve experienced adverse effects from taking their medication, these are reported via the UK’s medicine regulator, the MHRA’s, Yellow Card reporting system. This is a scheme that helps safeguard people and assess the quality and efficacy of medicines.

Reporting your concerns helps the MHRA to understand how medicines affect people differently. Since we all have different backgrounds and genetic makeups, the information you share could help others in the future.

Anyone can share a report, you don’t have to wait for your pharmacist. The Yellow Card website has a reporting form that you can use at any time.

But we’re here to offer advice and support. Taking a weight management medication is a huge decision, and throughout your treatment, you may have different experiences. We always aim to listen and help you through the highs and lows of your journey.