Weight loss jab industry 'a ticking time bomb'

More people than ever are using weight loss jabs, with some GPs describing them as a "gamechanger" in tackling obesity and type 2 diabetes. But some practitioners in Shropshire say they have concerns.

Like many aesthetic clinic owners, David Kelly offers clients injections to lose weight alongside treatments like Botox and dermal fillers.

A registered nurse working at Tinkable in Bridgnorth has even had her own weight loss experience, sharing her personal journey face-to-face with those wanting to shed the stones to help inform their decision.

Increasingly, however, people are obtaining the jabs online. Mr Kelly, who runs Tinkable in Bridgnorth, says he has been told horror stories of how easily Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic self-injectable pens are being dispensed.

"We've heard of people putting a carrier bag on their back, filling it full of exercise weights and then taking a photograph of their weighing machine and sending that off to an online pharmacy and getting as many pens as they want," he said.

"I've heard of people who have got a friend to do the picture side of things for them and then being able to get a pen even though they didn't meet the requirement of being a certain BMI."

He said he believed that people were able to get the drugs from online pharmacies without many hurdles.

Weight-loss jabs have been available through NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, since the end of June, but patients must meet strict criteria in order to be eligible.

David Kelly says he has heard of patients getting the weight loss drugs online without properly qualifying for them

Mounjaro is a GLP-1 - a medicine that helps people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it should only be obtained through legitimate pharmacies, including those online, with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.

It said the drugs should only be used by those who are overweight or diabetic, not for aesthetic or cosmetic purposes.

It added that it had not assessed the safety and effectiveness of GLP-1s when used outside of their licensed use, for example, when used for weight loss in people who are not obese or overweight.

In June, the BBC was able to obtain weight loss drugs online by falsifying a patient's weight and sending photographs.

A study into potential serious side effects was launched in June after hundreds of people reported problems with their pancreas.

• How do weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy work?

• 'I feel blessed to get weight loss jab' - but can the NHS afford it for all?

• Weight loss jab Mounjaro 'game changer', says GP

However, many say they have had a positive experience with the drug, and research shows that there are some health benefits to the jabs.

Teresa, 50, from Telford, started taking Mounjaro in November after getting a private prescription online but admitted she did not do a lot of research.

She said she had lost almost three stone but admitted she was "winging it" in terms of dosage.

She added that she had followed what friends had done.

"I didn't really know what I needed to do," she said.

"I still don't think I'm at my target, but a lot of people are saying I've lost a lot of weight, and I do feel better in my clothes now," she told the BBC.

However, she said she was anxious about stopping the injections due to lack of guidance.

'They have effects all over the body'

It is unknown exactly how many people in the UK are on weight loss drugs due to the amount of people obtaining them from unregulated sources.

Although health officials acknowledge the jabs could help drive down obesity levels, the drugs often come with side effects, commonly including nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.

Donnington pharmacy superintendent Nigel Dugmore said the online weight loss jab industry is a "ticking time bomb" due to the ease with which they are able to be purchased online.

He believed the jabs came with "serious consequences" that had not fully been investigated and wants to see tougher regulations.

"They're not short-acting drugs; they're long-acting drugs, and they do have effects all over the body," said Mr Dugmore.

"It can't be right that people with very little medical training are being able to sell these things literally from their garden sheds."