Overview

• The UK Government plans to make weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy available in pharmacies with a pharmacist consultation for £9.90, the NHS prescription cost.
• Currently, NHS access to these drugs is limited to specialist clinics, with patients facing waiting lists of up to two years.
• Patient testimonials highlight significant weight loss, with some losing up to 4 stone in months, but safety concerns persist, including gastrointestinal issues and rare severe side effects like acute pancreatitis.
• Reports indicate 85 suspected fatalities linked to the drugs in the UK as of January 2025, prompting NHS warnings against unsupervised use.
• Obesity costs the NHS over £6 billion annually, and the government aims to expand access to these drugs to reduce the economic and health burden.