Pharmacists warn demand for weight loss jabs may outstrip supply

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) warns that demand for weight loss medication is becoming “unsustainable” and could soon exceed supply, cautioning that shortages risk pushing people toward unregulated online sources despite known dangers.

Usage of drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the UK has risen to well above a million people, with most patients paying privately. In April, 1.6m packs of Mounjaro and Wegovy were bought in Britain, and the NPA said “spiralling demand for weight loss medication risks going far beyond what is clinically deliverable”.

The NPA added that access might need to be prioritised for those in greatest need rather than the “worried well”. It also reported shortages in parts of the UK, including for higher doses of Mounjaro, and said supply restrictions at some pharmacies have prevented certain new patients from starting treatment.

By the numbers: over a million users in the UK; 1.6m packs in April; 21% tried to obtain the drugs in the past year, rising to 35% among 18–34-year-olds; 41% would use them if free on the NHS (64% among those aged 25–34); about 220,000 people in England due to be offered tirzepatide over the next three years; pharmacies already supply about 85% of weight loss drugs; policy framed within a 10-year health plan.

Polling for the NPA found strong interest: 21% of Britons reported attempts to get the medications in the last year, rising to 35% among 18–34-year-olds. Across all age groups, 41% would use them if available free on the NHS, including 64% of those aged 25–34.

Methodology: Savanta interviewed a representative sample of 2,002 adults aged 18+ online from 20–23 June for the NPA, which represents 6,000 independent pharmacies.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advised patients to obtain these medicines only with a doctor’s prescription and not from beauty parlours or websites. A Department of Health spokesperson said more people would be able to obtain “revolutionary” weight loss jabs over the next few years, calling them “a powerful tool in tackling the obesity crisis head-on as part of our 10-year health plan”, and added: “This government is committed to ensuring that more people have access to these revolutionary drugs when needed, and crucially that they are able to do so in a safe and controlled way. We will ensure that those most in need will receive treatment first.”

About 220,000 people in England are due to be offered tirzepatide, a diabetes drug that promotes weight loss, over the next three years. Olivier Picard, the NPA’s chair, said weight loss jabs are among the century’s major drug innovations but that interest exceeds the number who can benefit, and urged government to use pharmacists’ expertise to help accelerate the NHS programme.

29 July 2025 13:08 By London Health News Desk