The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) today (January 27) urged the regulator to introduce “tougher regulation of the online sale of weight loss jabs” in its response to draft online pharmacy guidance.
In September, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) launched a consultation into new guidance “requiring online pharmacies to put extra safeguards in place when prescribing or supplying” high-risk medicines like weight loss drugs.
Read more: PDA: GPhC consultation ‘watering down’ online pharmacy guidance
But now, the NPA has warned that the proposed safeguards “still leave the door open for medicines to be prescribed [and] supplied without appropriate two-way direct patient consultation”.
It said that a “risk to patient safety remains” in the new guidance, which does not require online prescribers to have “access to patient records for a full clinical picture particularly where high-risk medicines are involved”.
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The NPA added that it “called on the regulator to ensure Mounjaro injections are prescribed by online sellers only after a full two-way consultation including the careful consideration of a patient’s medical history”.
“A two-way consultation between prescriber and patient could include a face-to-face conversation or a telephone call,” it said.
The GPhC told C+D that it has “listened carefully to feedback” and will shortly issue an “updated version” of its guidance.
“Concerned”
NPA chair Nick Kaye said that the body is “concerned that the current regulations allow some patients to inappropriately access weight loss injections without proper consultation or examination of historical medical records”.
“There’s nothing wrong with online services in principle,” he added.
“But it’s important the regulator takes this opportunity to make compulsory a full consultation before dispensing high-risk medication such as weight loss injections,” Kaye said.
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He added that the regulator must “ensure supply is prioritised for those in most clinical need, including those with type two diabetes”.
“Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale, they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal,” he said.
No need for more regulation
But the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) said that it does “not see the need for any additional regulation”.
“CCA members have been remotely providing weight loss medicines to patients for many years with a proven track record of safety,” chief executive Malcolm Harrison said.
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He added that the “prescribing and supply of these medicines is safe and meets a clear patient need” where “current regulation and guidance is followed”.
“Listened carefully”
A GPhC spokesperson today told C+D that it requires “all pharmacies, including those operating online, to ensure that the way in which pharmacy services are delivered safeguards the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public”.
The regulator will issue an “updated version” of the guidance shortly that will “set out additional safeguards around high-risk medicines, including medicines used for weight management”, they added.
Read more: Wegovy: Ten deaths linked to weight loss injections, says MHRA
“We have listened carefully to feedback we had on key changes to the updated guidance,” they said.
“Our guide for the public on ‘how to keep safe when getting medicines or treatment online’ gives tips for people going online for medicines to help them identify legitimate online pharmacies or clinics,” they added.
“Watering down”
The NPA is not the first pharmacy body to raise concerns over the draft guidance.
In November, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) said that the proposed raft of “extra safeguards” risks “watering down” existing guidance.
It added that the changes would embed “potentially poor practice” and allow online pharmacies to “circumvent” guidance.
Read more: ‘Scandal’: Online IPs set ‘one weight loss script every 4 mins’ target
Meanwhile last month, online pharmacy Numan came under fire for “treating injectable medications like grocery items at a Lidl checkout”.
C+D analysis found that to meet the pharmacy’s hourly targets, an independent prescriber (IP) would have to work through a prescription every 2.1 minutes – including one weight loss prescription every 4.2 minutes.
Read more: Mum landed in hospital after taking Facebook ad Mounjaro
In July, a pharmacist IP was struck off from the GPhC register after issuing tens of thousands of prescriptions using online questionnaires.
And in May, the regulator also hit three pharmacists with warnings after they provided “high-risk” medicine using “unsafe” online patient questionnaires.
