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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent

Online UK pharmacies prescribing weight loss jabs to people with healthy BMI

Weight Loss Jenny United Kingdom GPHC Tom Quinn diabetes
A box of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection
Ozempic, a brand name of the drug semaglutide, and Saxenda, a brand name for a similar drug called liraglutide, were originally developed for diabetes. Photograph: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

Online pharmacies operating in the UK are approving and dispatching prescriptions of controversial slimming jabs for people of a healthy weight, a Guardian investigation has found.

Some pharmacies appear to be issuing prescriptions of such medications to people who lie about their body mass index (BMI) on an online form. In one case a reporter was issued a prescription after accurately saying their BMI was about 20. A healthy BMI lies between 18.5 and 24.9.

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