Patients are being “forced” to go private for weight loss jabs due to difficulties accessing them on the NHS, a health watchdog has warned.
Healthwatch said last week (January 15) that people found weight loss drugs to be “transformative” but had “problems” getting them prescribed on the NHS, “especially since they were made available via GPs last June”.
It added that those who cannot access NHS-funded weight loss jabs are “forced to go private”, and some are “making big financial sacrifices” to afford their prescriptions.
Read more: MHRA approves Novo Nordisk’s triple-strength Wegovy
The watchdog said the increase in the price of Mounjaro last year means that people “might not be able to continue to afford a supply” of the medicine. It also said it had heard of people “switching to Ozempic or a lower dose so that they could continue to lose weight”.
One person who wanted weight loss jabs to help treat their lipoedema was “unable to get them from their consultant or their GP”, it added, and had “got into debt to afford the drugs” privately.
Postcode lottery
Healthwatch said people in England are facing a “postcode lottery of access” to weight loss drugs on the NHS.
It added that when Mounjaro became available via GPs in June 2025, NHS England (NHSE) issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on “how to roll out the service in local GP surgeries”.
Read more: AI app ‘intelligently targeting’ potential weight loss patients
But according to a British Medical Journal investigation published in September, fewer than half of all ICBs in England had started prescribing the drug through GPs.
The watchdog said it has since seen “statements on various ICB websites” cautioning patients that “the number of eligible patients in their area will be very small”, advising them “not to contact their GP to request” the medicine, or saying that they “have not yet rolled out a local scheme”.
Read more: Wegovy pill: First oral GLP-1 weight loss drug launches in US
The government’s Health and Care Committee is currently holding an inquiry into food and weight management, including treatments for obesity.
Healthwatch said that until the inquiry is completed, it is urging:
- GPs, specialist weight loss services, ICBs and local public health departments to provide “clear information about the criteria for access to weight loss drugs in their area”
- ICBs and services to “take caution in warning people against contacting their GPs about availability of weight loss drugs” as this could deter people “from seeking health advice altogether and missing out on other weight loss interventions”
- NHSE to “collect and publish figures about the number of people who have accessed Mounjaro via NHS GPs, by local authority and ICB area, to understand any gaps in provision”
Read more: GPhC act after online pharmacies accept AI images for GLP-1s
It comes after Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced last week that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a “higher maintenance dose” of the weight loss drug.
The new 7.2mg once-weekly dose, which is three times higher than its current highest approved dose, was approved by the medicines watchdog on January 11.
And it follows digital health company MedPal AI revealing that it is using artificial intelligence to “identify” users “who may benefit” from weight loss treatments available via the company’s online pharmacy.
