It's hard to read the news right now without another article about Ozempic popping up.
The fat loss jab - originally prescribed for diabetes sufferers to help manage blood sugar spikes - has divided news outlets and experts alike in the past few years. While many see it as a game-changer for weight-related illnesses, others have raised concerns about the long-term effects of the drug, not to mention users' inability to keep the weight off once they stop taking the injections.
In recent news, it's been announced that the NHS may grant pharmacists the power to prescribe the divisive jabs and then provide them over the counter at pharmacies.
The move would immediately broaden access, making them available to anyone following a short consultation and for as little as £9.90.
Currently, as per the Lloyds Pharmacy website, you must have a prescription from a doctor in order to get Ozempic from a pharmacy. You can only be prescribed the jab by a doctor if you are considered to have the highest clinical need and meet certain criteria.
That said, demand for the drug is clearly there, with many who qualify (and many who don't) reported to be turning to black market alternatives. This has only been compounded by the two-year-long wait list for WeGovy on the NHS.
So, what do top experts have to say about pharmacists being given the power to prescribe the controversial jabs across the UK? Below, we get their take. For more expert-led Ozempic content, don't miss our extensive explainers on Ozempic for weight loss, the risks of securing black market Ozempic, and the key difference between Ozempic and WeGovy. Plus, doctors share their take on whether Ozempic can delay ageing or cause hair loss, here.
As reports indicate Ozempic could be prescribed by pharmacists across the UK - what do physicians think of the move?
As per The Daily Mail, a multimillion-pound deal has been struck to ease pressure on the NHS and help the backlog of overweight or obese candidates in the UK currently on the waitlist for Ozempic.
They report that the deal involves a pharmaceutical firm and aims to issue prescriptions through chemists and health centres to ease strain on the current system.
They'll be priced at just £9.90 - the same amount as the current NHS monthly prescription, but significantly less than the £150 it's reported that private prescriptions currently cost.
A government spokesperson said: "As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking across the board at how these drugs can be made available to more people who can benefit from them."
"The NHS is already tackling obesity in innovative ways, including through community care models and digital technologies, to help deliver these drugs as part of a rounded package of care."
Figures from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimated that as many as 3.4 million people in England could benefit from the injections.
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So, what do the experts reckon?
Speaking to two of the UK's leading pharmacists to get their unfiltered take, it's clear that this is a nuanced subject that divides opinion.
On the one hand, if pharmacists were to be given the power to prescribe Ozempic, it would undoubtedly reach more people and ease strain on the NHS. It would also likely deter individuals from buying expensive, and often unregulated, black market alternatives that could potentially make them really sick.
But as general physician Ramit Singh Sambyal shares, it's sadly more complicated than that. "I work day in, day out with patients asking for Ozempic, sometimes for the right reasons, sometimes not," he shares. "I’ve seen how pharmacists end up picking up the pieces when this goes wrong, and I have mixed feelings about whether giving them more power to prescribe is the solution."
He continues: "I recently treated a patient in her early 30s who bought semaglutide pens online because she wanted to drop weight quickly for her wedding. She didn’t come to me first; she went straight to her local pharmacist when the side effects hit her hard. She’d been vomiting, dehydrated, and completely unaware of how stopping or misusing this drug could mess up her blood sugar. That pharmacist did more to keep her safe in that moment than any online prescriber ever could."
"This is what people don’t see: the local pharmacist is already the first person people trust when they’re too embarrassed to talk to their GP. They’re the ones explaining what these jabs really do, calming people down when side effects hit, and trying to protect stock for the patients who actually need it."
That said, he has valid concerns about the current supply of Ozempic and what may happen if more prescriptions are granted. "I’ve had type 2 diabetes patients come back to me because they couldn’t get their usual dose; there’s just not enough supply when people want Ozempic for quick fat loss. Pharmacists will be right in the middle of that tension. It’s not fair to expect them to keep everyone happy when they’re already juggling so much with not enough time or staff."
One of his main concerns centres around proper training and education on which individuals truly need Ozempic amid reports of already healthy weight or underweight individuals flooding the press. "If pharmacists are going to prescribe Ozempic, they need proper training, clear rules on who actually needs it, and the freedom to say no when someone’s asking for it just because they saw a celebrity use it. They can absolutely help cut down on unsafe online buying, I see that every week, but they can’t be expected to do it all with no extra support."
Clinician and clinical pharmacist Roj Helin Parlakyildiz agrees, stressing that Ozempic isn't a cure-all; those who choose to take the drug for fat loss purposes need adequate support, nutrition and movement education, and behaviour change guidance - something that she worries pharmacists may not be able to provide, given how overrun they already are.
"Fat loss medications like Ozempic... work best when combined with long-term support on nutrition, physical activity, and behaviour change," she stresses. "These treatments require careful prescribing and aren't appropriate for everyone. Eligibility checks, contraindications, and individual risks must all be considered, and pharmacists need to be trained to identify these risks," she goes on.
The clinician makes a very valid point - that safe prescribing goes beyond issuing medication. "Expanding prescribing powers could reduce reliance on unregulated online sources, but safe prescribing goes beyond issuing medication. It involves managing side effects, supporting patients through dose changes, tracking BMI, handling missed doses, and planning how to taper off treatment when the time comes. With pharmacists already under pressure through NHS minor ailments schemes, this would require clear clinical pathways, proper training, and sustained support."
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The bottom line?
Ultimately, opinions on giving pharmacists the power to prescribe Ozempic are a mixed bag. It means the medication will reach more people, but it also runs the risk of reaching more individuals who haven't had the right education or preparation about the drug, its side effects, and the dietary and lifestyle changes you need to make alongside the medication to see long-term change.
In order for pharmacists to be able to provide this support, they, in turn, need proper training, support, and funding - a big ask of an already over-stretched system.
As Singh Sambya concludes: "Pharmacists can be a brilliant filter for what’s safe and what’s not, but only if we back them properly - otherwise, we’re just moving the pressure from GPs to the pharmacy counter."
